2 dead, 12 missing after boat capsizes in Zambia

Lusaka: At least two people were killed and 12 others went missing after a boat capsized in Nchelenge district in Zambia’s northern province of Luapula, the police said on Tuesday.

Thirty-two people were aboard the boat when it capsized in the early hours of Tuesday on Lake Mweru as the boat was heading toward the Kashobwe area of the Democratic Republic of Congo from Kilwa Island on the Zambian side, Xinhua news agency reported.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accident happened due to strong waves on the lake, said Deputy Police Public Relations Officer Danny Mwale in a statement, adding that most of the passengers were Congolese nationals using a boat belonging to a Zambian.

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Mwale said 18 people managed to swim to safety, and the search and rescue operation for the missing people is ongoing.

This is the third recent boat accident in Zambia. Fourteen people died after a boat capsized on Lake Bangweulu on March 31. Eight died after a boat capsized in Luangwa District in Lusaka Province on April 2.

(IANS)