Local officials quoted local officials on Friday, media reports that at least 148 people were found dead in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a motorized wooden boat caught fire and went bankrupt.

Hundreds remain missing after a fire broke out on the ship and overturned on the Congo River on Tuesday, officials said.

The ship reportedly carried up to 500 passengers, including women and children, when it capsized on the Congo River in the northwestern part of the country.

Boating accidents are common in Congo, where old wooden boats are the main form of transport between villages and often far exceed capacity.

Officials estimate hundreds of people are still missing, the report added. The death toll was previously estimated at 50.

The ship, called HB Kongolo, caught fire near the town of Mbandaka, has left the port of Matankumu to head for Bolomba territory.

According to Sky News, about 100 survivors were taken to improvised shelters at local town halls, while those injured in burns were taken to local hospitals.

River Commissioner Compétent Loyoko told the Associated Press that the incident occurred when a fire broke out while a woman was cooking on a boat.

Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water and unable to swim.

In 2024, at least 78 people drowned when a passenger captain carrying 278 passengers in Lake Kivo, eastern Congo. In another incident, at least 22 people died after the river boat sank in December.