At least 80 people may have been killed as their barge overloaded with goods and people tipped overin a strong wind on a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), local officials said on Tuesday.

The accident happened early on Monday morning on the Kasai river near the western town of Tshikapa. It was unclear how many people were on the barge when it capsized, and the officials warned the death toll may rise.

Hilarion Sala, a local official in Tshikapa, said they think there are at least 80 dead, but the barge was overloaded, so the number may be as high as 200 dead.

Boat accidents are not rare in the DRC where roads have been ravaged by years of civil war and neglect. Water transport is often the only way to cover the vast distances between villages inthe central African country.

Source: Xinhua