At least 20 die as ferry capsizes on DR Congo lake

At least 20 bodies have been recovered from Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after a ferry capsized just a few hundred metres from its destination.

The boat was travelling from the town of Minova in South Kivu and sank as it was arriving on Goma’s shore on Thursday morning.

A video circulating online shows the boat tilting to one side and then sinking.

It is still unclear how many people were on board, but several survivors told Reuters news agency it may have been carrying at least 200 people.

Reuters cited a local migration authority saying around 45 males and 35 females were registered as passengers, but their ages have not been verified.

A local activist, Aaron Ashuza, who is at the shore, told the BBC he saw bodies being pulled out of the river and said the injured had been taken to hospital.

At least two children died after they were taken to hospital after the accident, according to AFP.

Such accidents are common in DR Congo, where boats are frequently overcrowded with passengers who are rarely given safety jackets and often cannot swim.

Rescue operations are made difficult as some ships rarely have passenger manifests.