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30 Dead, 200 Missing After Boat Sinks on DRC Lake

by Associated Press

   KINSHASA --

   Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and
   another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.

   Simon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on
   Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake
   Mai-Ndombe were teachers.

   The mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat
   because roads in the region are so poor.

   It was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when
   it hit bad weather late Saturday.

   But officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80
   people survived.

   Boats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with
   passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those
   aboard.