Death toll from Central African Republic boat disaster rises to 62
The death toll from the sinking of a boat last Friday on a river in the Central African Republic (CAR) has risen to 62, the director of Civil Protection, Thomas Djimasse, told the Spanish agency EFE today.
![Death toll from Central African Republic boat disaster rises to 62](https://media-manager.noticiasaominuto.com/960/naom_6623c28971790.jpg)
© FLORENT VERGNES/AFP via Getty Images
The director confirmed that the Civil Protection, the army and private canoeists continue the search in the M'poko River, near the Central African capital, Bangui, where the boat with more than 300 people capsized on Friday.
The Government has decreed three days of national mourning, starting on Monday, in memory of the missing, and an investigation has also been opened to clarify the circumstances of the tragedy.
"The Government has already opened an investigation to clarify this drama that has mourned the entire Republic", announced the minister and government spokesman, Maxime Balalu.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the European Union and the opposition parties expressed messages of support and condolences to the families.
On the other hand, the opposition party Union for the Renewal of Central Africa (URCA) called for an "independent investigation into the circumstances of this shipwreck, in order to determine responsibilities and save the Central Africans from this type of catastrophe in the future".
The relatives of the victims demanded explanations from the authorities.
"We cannot mourn without understanding what happened. We expect explanations from the Government because it is their responsibility to protect citizens", said Nathan Babambi, who lost his mother in the shipwreck, quoted by EFE.
The Central African Women's Organization (OFCA) of Bimbo, the second most populous city in the country, about 25 kilometers from the capital, appealed to "let the commission of inquiry do its work" to draw conclusions, sharing the pain of the families of the victims.
The M'Poko River is a tributary of the Oubangui River, which 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 few infrastructures and dense forests.
The boats, often precarious, are often overcrowded.
Read Also: Shipwreck in a river causes 19 deaths in the Central African Republic (Portuguese version)
Descarregue a nossa App gratuita.
Oitavo ano consecutivo Escolha do Consumidor para Imprensa Online e eleito o produto do ano 2024.
* Estudo da e Netsonda, nov. e dez. 2023 produtodoano- pt.com