Following the incident near Bikoro in Equateur Province on Wednesday, 46 passengers have been rescued, while 107 remain unaccounted for. Authorities have recovered and buried 48 bodies so far, said a statement issued by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Security Jacquemain Shabani, Xinhua reported.
The victims were aboard three motorized canoes that capsized due to severe weather conditions on the lake, the statement said.
Reports suggest the death toll could exceed 60. The canoes were likely overloaded, as most of the passengers onboard were transporting the body of a deceased woman to a funeral in a village in the Bikoro region, the AFP news agency reported, citing local sources.
An interministerial mission has been dispatched to Bikoro to assess the situation and coordinate humanitarian assistance, the statement added, calling for constant efforts to prevent similar tragedies, strengthen disaster prevention mechanisms and enhance community resilience.