50 killed after truck overturns in river in DR Congo

KIGALI, Rwanda

At least 50 people were killed when a truck they were traveling in overturned in a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Haut-Katanga province, authorities said Tuesday.

The accident occurred Sunday in the village of Tambo located nearly 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the territory of Mitwaba.

The cargo truck was traveling from Manono territory in neighboring Tanganyika province and headed to Lubumbashi, with passengers including women and children, according to Provincial Governor Jacques Kyabula Katwe.

“The accident happened at around 9 p.m. when the driver failed to enter the bridge at the Kalumengongo River. The truck overturned and ended up in the river,” he told reporters. “The vehicle was carrying more than 50 people, but only two survived.”

Authorities said efforts are still underway to find missing bodies and to retrieve the vehicle.

Deadly traffic accidents are common in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In March, 25 people were killed when a large truck smashed into three vehicles on a road to Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

A total of 261 people were killed in 2019 in North Kivu where 1,895 road accidents occurred, according to the National Road Safety Commission.