Congo ferry death toll reaches 163
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Congo ferries are often crowded.
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KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -- At least 163 people were drowned when two ferries collided on a lake in Democratic Republic of Congo, more than the 50 initially reported missing, the government said on Thursday.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Nzuzi wa Mbombo said 222 people escaped from the disaster involving two ferries carrying an estimated 450-500 people. The accident occurred on Monday during a storm.
"It was two boats that collided due to a strong storm. The latest information we received at 8.30 a.m. this morning is that we're talking about 163 dead, that's bodies found," she said.
She said the search for survivors was continuing.
The disaster happened on Lake Mai-Ndombe, which means "Black Water" and is about 400 km (250 miles) northwest of the capital Kinshasa. It covers 2,300 sq km but doubles or triples in size during the rainy season.
Also during the storms in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 11 people died on Wednesday when a train hit a landslide and plunged into a river.
Ferdinand Derouaux, cabinet director at the Ministry of Transport, said the train crash happened just outside the western town of Matadi. He said two engines plunged into the river, taking two of the wagons they were towing with them, as the train set off for Kinshasa.
He said Congo's state-owned transport firm only possessed five train engines before the accident, adding: "This is going to make our work very difficult."
The western regions of the vast central African country have been deluged by heavy downpours as the rainy season gets into full swing.
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