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At least 45 people died after the sinking of a boat on Lake Mai-Ndombe, in the western Democratic Republic of Congo.
The province's governor, Antoine Masamba, said the boat was carrying more than 400 people, and that some 200 pbadengers would still be missing.
The majority of the people on board were teachers who were going to receive their salaries, said a local mayor at the BBC.
He said 11 children were among those who died when the overcrowded old boat fell in heavy waves.
The ship, bound for Boliangwa, sank Saturday night nearly 30 km from the city of Inongo, starting point and capital of the province of Mai-Ndombe.
Mayor of Inongo, Simon Mboo Wemba, said the police had arrested the captain of the boat and that the investigation was continuing.
Authorities warned that search and recovery operations on the lake could last between two and three weeks.
Gaius Kowene of the BBC in Kinshasa, the capital, says boat accidents are common in DR Congo due to overload and lack of maintenance
DR Congo, which is about the size of the Western European continent, has a poor road network and many areas are inaccessible except by air or by boat – and the only highway in the country is the Congo River.
Last month, at least 167 people died in two boat accidents on Lake Kivu.
That's what prompted Felix Tshisekedi, who became president in January, to force pbadengers to wear a lifejacket.
But it's not clear if those on the boat that sank on Saturday were wearing clothes.
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