The river commissioner and the commander of the river police of the village of Tolo, in the Kutu territory, are supposed to bear the burden of responsibilty before the provincial government’s commission of inquiry on the shipwreck that claimed 28 lives.

The administrator of the Kutu territory, Jacques Nzenza, told the media that the lifeless bodies were recovered and buried on Wednesday, while 120 people survived the accident and the search continued in the Lukeni River.

The wooden boat, which was carrying more than 300 passengers bound for Nioki from the town of Oshwe, capsized after hitting a tree trunk, the media outlet said. So far overloading and night navigation are considered the key factors in the incident.

The sinking occurred on Sunday evening, August 18 and, according to the president of the civil society of Kutu, Fidèle Lizorongo Mpamunao, they intend to take drastic measures and propose an alternative to this situation in order to have safe boats.

The Governor of the province of Mai-Ndombe, Lebon Nkoso Kevan, recalled on Tuesday that night navigation is illegal in the DRC; however, this type of accident is frequent in the country, where only from June to July caused over a hundred deaths.

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