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Police say 36 people missing after boat sinks in Congo

KINSHASA, Congo — Police in Congo say 36 people are missing after a boat sank on the Congo River east of the capital, Kinshasa.

The national police said Sunday that about 76 people were rescued after the accident near the Mambutuka locality about 80 kilometres (49 miles) outside Kinshasa.

The boat had been travelling from Balibambi in Mai-Ndombe province to the capital.

The cause of the accident is not immediately known. Boats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don’t include all those aboard.

The overcrowding makes it common for boats to capsize.

Road infrastructure in the vast Central African nation is often poor.

The Associated Press