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Shipwreck in a river causes 19 deaths in the Central African Republic
At least 19 people died last Friday in a shipwreck on the M'Poko River, near the Central African Republic's (CAR) capital Bangui, the Central African army said today.
© FLORENT VERGNES/AFP via Getty Images
"We were alerted to the tragedy. Our service was immediately activated, and we rescued some people. Unfortunately, so far, we have recorded 19 bodies and are transferring several people who need medical treatment to a hospital," Arthur Bissi, commander of the Central African army's amphibious battalion, told EFE.
According to Christian Aimé Ndotah, a journalist who witnessed the incident, the boat appeared to be overloaded with passengers.
"Just five minutes after setting off, a crack was heard and people started jumping into the water," he told EFE, adding: "The boat broke up and sank immediately. Some people managed to swim to safety, but many did not know how. How many people were there...? Maybe more than 300."
The CAR government spokesman, Maxime Balalu, told the Spanish agency that an official statement on the shipwreck would be issued, after the authorities were immediately criticized by the opposition for their inaction in preventing this type of incident.
The M'Poko River is a tributary of the Oubangui River, which in turn flows into the Congo River.
Shipwrecks are relatively frequent in the Congo Basin because rivers and lakes are used daily as a means of transport in countries with poor infrastructure and dense forests.
The boats, often precarious, are frequently overloaded, and signage is almost non-existent.
In addition, systemic violence has persisted in the CAR since late 2012, when a coalition of mostly Muslim rebel groups from the northeast - the Séléka - took Bangui and overthrew President François Bozizé, sparking a bloody civil war.
Although the current president, Faustin Archange Touadéra, declared a unilateral ceasefire in October 2021, with the aim of facilitating national dialogue, much of the country - rich in diamonds, uranium and gold - remains controlled by militias.
Read Also: UN in CAR calls for an "immediate end to hostilities" against civilians (Portuguese version)
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