At least 20 people drowned after a passenger ferry sank on a river in the Central African Republic on Saturday, witnesses said.
The wooden ferry, which was carrying more than 300 people to attend a funeral on the Poco River in the capital, Panjim, suddenly began to collapse on Friday, witnesses told The Associated Press on Saturday. Local boat drivers and fishermen were the first to respond, rescuing the victims and collecting bodies from the river before emergency services arrived.
Adrien Mossamo, a fisherman involved in the rescue, said at least 20 bodies were found while waiting for the military to arrive.
“It’s a terrible day,” he said.
Officials at Bangui University Hospital Center said the death toll was rising as the military took over the search. The exact death toll is unclear and the government has not commented.
Civil society groups and local political parties expressed condolences in social media posts and called for an investigation into the sinking.
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