58 people died in a boat sinking in Central Africa

International Desk: At least 58 people have lost their lives in a boat sinking in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. It is said that the accident happened due to overloading of passengers in the boat.

The head of the Civil Protection Department, Thomas Dizimase, confirmed that the accident happened when the victims were on a boat to attend a funeral. "We were able to recover the bodies of 58 people," Thomas Dizimas told Radio Guira. But we are still not sure how many more people are under the water. According to eyewitnesses and several videos released on social media, there were more than 300 passengers on the wooden boat.

Many were standing on the boat while others were sitting on the wooden structure when the boat sank. It is said to have sunk in the Moko River with extra passengers. The wooden boat was headed towards Makolo village to attend the funeral ceremony of a village chief. Makolo village is located about 45 km from Bangui. Rescuers arrived about 40 minutes after the boat capsized.

Maurice Kapenia did not get a place in that boat. He was following that boat in another boat. Maurice Kapenia said his sister was also killed in the boat accident. Meanwhile, a driver named Francis Maka said that after the accident, he delivered more than 10 people to the community hospital free of charge. The United Nations has ranked the Central African Republic as the second least developed country in the world.

The country has been wracked by civil war since 2013 when a Muslim-dominated armed coalition called the Seleka ousted former president Francois Bozize. Since 2018, the intensity of the conflict has decreased. However, insurgent groups are still active in the country. As a result, the country's precious resources like diamonds, gold are being looted. Besides, some areas of the country are still out of government control.