| GEO World | | 140 dead, as boat overturns in Congo | Updated at: 1838 PST, Thursday, July 29, 2010
KINSHASA: A boat capsized on a river in western Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 140 people, the provincial governor's office said Thursday.
The boat overturned on the Kasai river, a tributary of the Congo river, on Wednesday.
"I can confirm the accident. We're currently in a crisis meeting," said a source in the Bandundu province governor's office who asked not to be named. The source said there were 140 dead.
The boat was carrying passengers and goods from Mushie, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from Bandundu, the chief town in the province.
River transport is widely used throughout DR Congo, which has numerous waterways, including the 4,700 kilometres (2,915 miles) Congo river. Disasters are frequent, mostly because boats are overloaded. |  | | | |
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