Shipwreck death toll rises to 62 in Central African Republic

People search for victims after a shipwreck in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, April 21, 2024. The death toll from a shipwreck that occurred Friday in the Central African Republic (CAR) has risen to 62, locals and authorities said on Sunday. (Str/Xinhua)

YAOUNDE, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a shipwreck that occurred Friday in the Central African Republic (CAR) has risen to 62, locals and authorities said on Sunday.

According to Maick Azoumale, a sand digger on river Mpoko where the tragedy occurred, four more bodies including three women and a child were located overnight into Sunday.

CAR Director General of Civil Protection, Thomas Dimasse, told a local media Saturday that they "were able to extract 58 bodies, lifeless. We don't know the total number of people underwater."

He confirmed the figure to Xinhua and said that more people were still missing. "About 50 relatives of the victims continue to put pressure in the hope of finding the bodies of their loved ones. We are currently working with volunteers, especially sand diggers who are helping us find the bodies of the missing," Dimasse said.

The tragedy occurred on Friday when a boat transporting more than 300 people over river Mpoko in CAR capital city of Bangui sank.

The passengers were heading to the village of Mokelo, in the commune of Bimbo, Ombella-Mpoko prefecture, for the burial of the remains of a group leader, according to witnesses.