At least 78 persons have died, after a ferry capsized on Lake Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The boat which was travelling from Minova in South Kivu and sank just a few hundred metres from its destination on Gomaโs shore, on Thursday.
A viral shows captured the boat tilting to one side before sinking, with authorities saying there were 278 passengers on board
โItโll take at least three days to get the exact numbers, because not all the bodies have been found yet,โ the regional Governor Jean Jacques Purisi, told Reuters.
A local activist, Aaron Ashuza, who was at the scene, said he saw bodies being pulled out of the river and said the injured had been taken to hospital.
According to AFP, among casualties are two children who passed on while they were taken to hospital after the accident
Speaking from his hospital bed, 51-year-old survivor Alfani Buroko Byamungu, told Reuters that conditions on the water seemed โcalmโ.
He added: โI saw people sinking, many went under. I saw women and children sinking in the water, and I myself was on the verge of drowning, but God helped me.โ
Such accidents are common in DR Congo, where boats are frequently overcrowded with passengers who are rarely given safety jackets and often cannot swim.
Rescue operations are made difficult as some ships rarely have passenger manifests.