Over 80 victims lost their lives in a shipwreck off the coast of DR Congo.
"The President of the Republic has called for a probe into the actual reasons behind this tragic event, hopes to avoid a similar mishap in the future," reads a statement from his office.
A ship sank in the Kwa River, about 70 kilometers away from the city of Mushie in the Maï-Ndombe province.
The President of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, extended his sympathies to the families of the victims.
Tragic shipwrecks are all too common in the DRC as the country lacks proper roadways, resulting in many people depending on boats to cross the multiple branches of the Congo River that runs along its western border.
Fifty-two people lost their lives in the northwestern part of the country in October last year when a boat carrying over 300 passengers overturned in the Congo River, officials had mentioned then.
Another six people died several months ago in the DRC's Lake Kivu when a boat transporting 150 villagers capsized.
The DRC has just one kilometer of paved road per 1,000 square kilometers, while low-income countries have an average of 16 kilometers, as reported by the World Bank.
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The DRC, being rich in waterways due to its location along the Congo River, unfortunately experiences numerous shipwrecks due to the lack of adequate road infrastructure. This issue is a concern not only within Africa but on a global scale.
