More bodies retrieved in Zambia's boat accident

LUSAKA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Police in Nchelenge district in Zambia's Luapula province have retrieved more bodies from a river where more than 20 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) drowned in an accident on Sunday, the Times of Zambia reported on Thursday.

More than 20 people died on Sunday evening after their three boats capsized on the Zambian side of the river after they were hit by waves from a speed boat that was coming from the DRC side of the river.

Police retrieved four bodies on Sunday while four were retrieved on Monday.

Luapula Province Deputy Commissioner of Police said the police have retrieved three more bodies bringing the total number of bodies retrieved since the operation started to 15.

He said 14 bodies had been identified to be Congolese while one was a Zambian and that police discovered that the boats were also carrying five Zambians.

The boats, carrying more than 100 people, carried footballers and spectators who had come for a football match on the Zambian side when the incident happened. About 72 people survived the accident and DRC officials sent a bigger boat to carrying the survivors back to their country.