At least 58 people were killed and others were missing after an overloaded river boat capsized in Lake Mboko, in the Central African Republics capital Bangui.

Media reported that the 20 meters long and three meters wide boat was carrying more than 300 people on their way to attend a funeral, adding that it may have capsized due to overloading.

The head of civil protection, Thomas Djimasse, told Radio Guira in Central Africa that among the dead were many women and children.

“We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies… We don’t know the total number of people who are underwater”, he said, adding that search operations are continuing.

According to civil defense reports, rescue workers did not arrive at the scene until 40 minutes after the boat capsized.

River transport is widely used in the Central African country due to the poor condition of many roads, yet many boats are made of wood and lack maintenance.

Source: Qatar News Agency