At least 22 people were killed after two boats collided on the Congo River in western Democratic Republic of Congo, a provincial official said on Monday.
The crash occurred at around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday near the town of Ngombe in Lukolela territory, Equateur province, provincial Interior Minister Crispin Mputu told Reuters.
The collision involved a commercial vessel travelling between Kinshasa and Mbandaka and a passenger boat heading from Mongala province toward the capital, Kinshasa.
The passenger vessel sank after the impact. A security source said 163 people were on board.
Authorities have recovered and buried 22 bodies, while 59 people were rescued, Mputu said. He added that additional victims may have been buried in other locations.
The sunken boat remained submerged at a depth of about 12 metres on Monday evening as recovery operations continued.
River transport is a major means of travel and commerce across much of western Congo, where many communities lie along the Congo River.
Deadly boat accidents are common in the country, often involving overloaded vessels, poor maintenance and limited enforcement of safety regulations.
