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Around 23 bodies recovered following boat accident on Congo's Lake Kivu

Residents gather to witness the search and rescue mission after a boat ferrying passengers and goods from the Minova villages sank in Lake Kivu near the Port of Kituku in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, October 3, 2024. PHOTO/REUTERS 

What you need to know:

  • Several survivors told Reuters that they saw nearly 200 people on board.

Around 23 bodies have been recovered and 40 people rescued following a boat accident on Lake Kivu, Colonel Molatelo Motau of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission in Democratic Republic of Congo said on Thursday.

A video seen by Reuters appeared to show the two-deck boat tilting sideways before capsizing in calm waters. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the video.

A local migration authority said that around 45 males and 35 females were registered as passengers, adding that those figures were not definitive and ages were unavailable.

Residents gather to witness the search and rescue mission after a boat ferrying passengers and goods from the Minova villages sank in Lake Kivu near the Port of Kituku in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo October 3, 2024. PHOTO/REUTERS 

Several survivors told Reuters that they saw nearly 200 people on board.