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The number of people who were found dead after a boat accident in the Congo rose to 148, officials said.
They say hundreds are still missing after a motorized wooden boat caught fire in the Congo River on Tuesday.
The number of dead was previously estimated at 50.
Senator Jean-Paul Boketsu Bofili of the Equator Province said on Friday that 500 people were on board and added: “While we are talking, more than 150 survivors suffering from third-degree burns are without humanitarian aid.”
The fire started when a woman boasted on board the boat, said competent Loyoko, the river commissioner.
Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without being able to swim, officials said.
About 100 survivors were taken to an improvised shelter in the local town hall, while those with fire injuries were taken to local hospitals.
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The boat, called HB Kongolo, caught fire near the northwestern city of Mbandaka after leaving the port of Matankumu to the Bolomba area.
Deads boat accidents occur frequently in the Central African country, where the late night trips and overcrowded vessels often blame and the authorities struggled to enforce maritime regulations.
Hundreds have been killed in boat accidents over the past few years as more people abandon the few available roads for wooden vessels with passengers and their goods.
The country’s rivers are an important means of transport for more than 100 million people, especially in remote areas where infrastructure is weak.
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