The presidency of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Wednesday that more than 80 people were killed in a boating accident on the River Kwa, in the province of Mai-Ndombe in the DRC.

In the Congo's waters, boat accidents can be deadly. The vessels are often overloaded. Few tarred road are found in the vast forested area of central Africa, where river travel is very common.

The presidency announced on X that "the President of the Republic calls for an investigation to determine the true causes of the unfortunate incident in order to prevent a similar disaster from occurring again."

Rita Bola Dula said that night sailing was to blame for the incident. She added that investigations were ongoing. (Reporting and writing by Yassin Kobi and Sonia Rolley, Anait Miridzhanian; Editing and Mark Heinrich by Bate Felix)