By Kudra Maliro
Authorities have deployed maritime police officers to carry out search and rescue operations after a boat carrying about 150 people capsized in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Lake Kivu.
Transport and communications minister for South Kivu Province, Mathieu Alimasi, told TRT Afrika on Tuesday that the bodies of four children and two women have been recovered.
Sixty people have survived the accident.
Mr Alimasi said ‘’maritime police continue to search for bodies’’ using boats.
The passengers – mainly women and children – were travelling at night from the island village of Mugothe in South-Kivu to the city of Goma in North-Kivu province.
The transport minister said the accident happened due to overloading as the boat was carrying ‘’150 passengers and goods.''
Boats are the main means of transportation in the region and accidents are relatively common on Lake Kivu mainly attributed to overloading and disregard for transport rules.
