KINSHASA — A boat has capsized after catching fire in the north-western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), leaving at least 50 people dead and hundreds missing, a local official has said.

Dozens were saved following the accident on the Congo River late on Tuesday night, many of them badly burned.

A search for the missing is under way with rescue teams supported by the Red Cross and provincial authorities.

The motorized wooden boat with about 400 passengers caught fire near the town of Mbandaka, Compétent Loyoko, the river commissioner, said.

The boat, HB Kongolo, had left the port of Matankumu for the Bolomba territory.

About 100 survivors were taken to an improvised shelter at the Mbandaka town hall. Those with burn injuries were taken to local hospitals.

The fire reportedly broke out while a woman was cooking on board, Loyoko said.

Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without being able to swim.

Boat accidents are common in the central African country, where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often blamed.

Authorities have struggled to enforce maritime regulations.

The DRC’s rivers are a major means of transport for its more than 100 million people, especially in remote areas where infrastructure is poor or non-existent.

Hundreds have been killed in boat accidents in recent years as more people abandon the few available roads for wooden vessels packed with passengers and their goods. — Euronews