Lake Commissioner Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba said some 45 people were killed in the accident, while others were believed missing. The search for survivors was under way with Red Cross help, he added, with 100 people or so confirmed alive so far.

"Some survivors were afraid to come forward, fearing they might be arrested for using an unauthorised navigation route not controlled by the state," said Bongolomba.

The Interior Ministry said 48 people were reported dead.

Bongolomba said it was unclear exactly how many people were aboard because the three boats had departed from an unauthorized port. A commission of transport inspectors is now in Bikoro to investigate the accident, he said.

A civil society group said after the accident that some 200 people were aboard the vessels and they were overloaded.

Vice Prime Minister Jacquemain Shabani said in a statement on Sunday that bad weather had caused the accident.

Reuters could not independently confirm details about the overloading of the vessels.

Deadly shipwrecks are frequent in DRC, where infrastructure challenges and lax safety standards exacerbate risks for waterway passengers.

--Reuters--