A ship with more than 450 passengers on board sank in Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) shortly before docking, DPA reported, citing BNR, citing eyewitnesses.
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A rescue operation is underway.
There is currently no official information on the number of victims.
Eyewitnesses told AP that they saw rescue services pulling at least 50 bodies out of the water. According to them, 10 people survived and were taken to a local hospital.
The ship was traveling to the city of Goma, near the border with Rwanda, a DPA reporter reported from the scene of the accident.
Congo's road network is relatively underdeveloped and ships and passenger ferries on the country's lakes and rivers are the only means of transport for many people, the agency said.
Serious accidents involving watercraft are not uncommon in Africa. The ships are often old, in poor technical condition or overloaded, and safety rules, such as the provision of life jackets, are often not followed, notes BTA.
On Tuesday, at least 60 people died and 150 were reported missing in northern Nigeria after a boat sank in the Niger River. According to the authorities, there were about 300 people on board the ship.