KINSHASA, Congo (AP) \u2014 Two separate boat accidents this week in northwestern Congo killed at least 193 people dead and left scores missing, authorities and state media reported Friday<\/p>\n
The accidents happened on Wednesday and Thursday, about 150 kilometers apart in the Equateur province. <\/p>\n
One boat with nearly 500 passengers caught fire and capsized Thursday evening along the Congo River in the province\u2019s Lukolela territory, Congo\u2019s humanitarian affairs ministry said in a report. The report said 209 survivors were rescued following the accident, involving a whaleboat near the village of Malange in Lukolela territory.<\/p>\n
A day earlier, a motorized boat capsized in the Basankusu territory of the province, killing at least 86 people, most of them students, state media reported. Several people were missing, but the reports did not give a figure of how many. <\/p>\n
It was not immediately clear what caused either accident or whether rescue operations were continuing Friday evening.<\/p>\n
State media attributed Wednesday\u2019s accident to \u201cimproper loading and night navigation,\u201d citing reports from the scene. Images that appeared to be from the scene showed villagers gathered around bodies as they mourned.<\/p>\n
A local civil society group blamed Wednesday\u2019s accident on the government and claimed the toll was higher. Authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.<\/p>\n
The capsizing of boats is becoming increasingly frequent<\/a> in this central African nation as more people are abandoning the few available roads for cheaper, wooden vessels crumbling under the weight of passengers and their goods.<\/p>\n