International Desk: There has been a ferry sinking incident in the Central African Republic. It has been reported that at least 58 people have been killed in this incident. About 300 passengers were on board the overcapacity ferry.
Almost all of them were said to be attending the funeral. The BBC reported this information in a report on Saturday (April 20).
At least 58 people have died after a passenger ferry capsized in the Central African Republic, officials said. Most of the 300 people on board were on their way to a funeral last Friday when it capsized en route.
The BBC says the ferry capsized and killed in the Mpoko River near the capital Bangui. Footage of the accident circulating on social media showed people trying to reach the river bank or jumping into the water after the ferry capsized.
A witness told French-language broadcaster RFI, “What just happened was horrible. I know a family who lost seven relatives in this tragedy.’
Speaking to local station Radio Guira on Saturday, civil protection chief Thomas Dezimas said rescuers had recovered “the bodies of 58 people” from the water. He also said, “We don’t know the total number of people under water.”
However, many survivors of the ferry accident are said to be receiving treatment in hospitals in Bangui.
