Reports surfaced yesterday that at least 60 people died after an overloaded whaling boat carrying 700 people sank in the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s western Mai-Ndombe province on Sunday night. While around 300 people made it to safety, there are fears for 240 others who are still missing. Minister Steve Mbikayi attributed the disaster to too many passengers and cargo on the vessel, and “night navigation also played a role”. He’s called for sanctions to be imposed on the boat’s operators. Deadly boat accidents are not uncommon in the nation because there are few tarred roads, leading to boats being overloaded with passengers.