At least 30 people have drowned and 167 are missing after a boat capsized on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Didier Mbula, provincial health minister for Equateur Province in the country’s northwest, said 189 people have been rescued and that the search is ongoing following the tragedy late on Friday.

Mr Mbula said the locally made boat was overloaded – carrying more than 300 people – when it capsized at night near the city of Mbandaka.

Volunteers have joined rescuers in the search for survivors and for bodies, while families have been mourning loved ones who were among the victims, officials added.

“We think that the toll could climb,” Mr Mbulu warned.

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The New Civil Society of Congo, a local group, last night said 49 people died in the incident, which it put down to an engine failure.

Contradictory figures relating to such incidents are common in the region.

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Deadly boat accidents occur regularly in Congolese waters, where vessels are frequently loaded well beyond their capacity.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has few tarred roads across its vast, forested territory, and travel by river is common.

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