Officials in Bangui say a search is ongoing in the Mpoko River after a boat capsized. (AP PHOTO)
About 50 people on their way to a village funeral have died after their riverboat capsized in the Central African Republic's capital Bangui, an official says.
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"We were alerted 40 minutes after the incident and rescuers were able to extract around 50 lifeless bodies," civil protection department head Thomas Djimasse told Reuters.
He added, in a telephone interview, that the search was continuing with more people possibly drowned in the Mpoko River.
Government spokesman Maxime Balalou gave a death toll of more than 30 and called for better compliance with river transport safety regulations.
Australian Associated Press
