KINSHASA, Congo As many as 200 people are feared dead after a heavily loaded boat caught fire and capsized in southern Congo, a survivor said Sunday, in the deadliest documented boat capsize in the Central African nation this year.
Fabrice Muamba, who said he was on the boat when it caught fire Saturday night on the Kasai River, said he thought only 15 people were able to swim to safety. He said passengers began to jump overboard when the engine caught fire as it passed the village of Mbendayi, some 45 miles 70 kilometers from the town of Tshikapa, which is north of Congos border with Angola.
Muamba said the boat was also carrying many drums full of fuel on its journey through Kasai Occidental Province, but it was unclear how the fuel may have contributed to the fire.
Local official Francois Madila said police arrested two of the vessels sailors and are investigating. Madila said the sailors have not said how many people were aboard and that the passenger list appeared to have disappeared in the fire.
The boats that traverse Congos rivers are often in poor repair and filled beyond capacity, with little regard for safety. The industry is not well-regulated and boat operators are known to fill boats to dangerous levels.
The incident is the deadliest of several boating incidents reported this year in Congo.
In July, officials said at least 80 people died when a boat ferrying about 200 passengers to Congos capital capsized after hitting a rock.
In May, dozens of people died when an overloaded canoe capsized on a river in eastern Congo. And last November, at least 90 people were killed after a logging boat sank on a lake in Congo. The timber-carrying vessel was not supposed to be carrying passengers.
Congo is a vast country of jungles and huge rivers in Central Africa with little more than 300 miles 480 kilometers of paved road. Many people prefer to take boats even if they do not know how to swim.
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