Boat capsizes in eastern Congo lake, killing at least 50 people, witnesses say

A boat carrying scores of passengers capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo on Thursday, killing at least 50 people, witnesses told The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were on board or how many perished but witnesses said they saw rescue services recover at least 50 bodies from the water. They said 10 people survived and were taken to the local hospital.

The boat, overloaded with passengers, sank while trying to dock just metres (yards) away from the port of Kituku, the witnesses said.

It was the latest deadly boat accident in the central African country, where overcrowding is often to blame, including one this summer when an overloaded boat sank near the capital and 80 passengers lost their lives.