boat capsizes in Congo, 25 are dead, many of them soccer players

A boat has capsized in southwestern Congo and killed 25 people, many of them soccer players, authorities said Monday.

The players were returning from a match in Mushie city in Maï-Ndombe province on Sunday night when the vessel capsized on the Kwa River, said Alexis Mputu, the provincial spokesman.

Mputu suggested that the poor visibility at night may have been a factor.

At least 30 other people survived, said Renacle Kwatiba, the local administrator of Mushie territory.

Deadly boat accidents are common in the central African country. Late-night travel and overcrowded vessels are often blamed. Authorities have struggled to enforce maritime regulations.

Congo’s rivers are a major means of transport for its more than 100 million people, especially in remote areas where infrastructure is poor or nonexistent.

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.