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100 missing in boat capsize in Central African Republic
January 15, 2015, 8:51 am

File photo of The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) [Xinhua]

File photo of The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) [Xinhua]

100 people are feared missing in the Central African Republic after a boat caught fire and sank on a river in the impoverished country earlier in the week, media reports said on Thursday.

CAR officials were quoted by French agency AFP as confirming the accident occurred on Monday, after a boat carrying an estimated 100 people left the capital Bangui on the Oubangui River.

Some 125 kilometres downstream, the boat’s motor exploded, starting a fire that quickly engulfed the vessel as terrified passengers jumped overboard, said a naval official.

Meanwhile, French president Francois Hollande said on Wednesday the country will withdraw 1,200 troops from the Central African Republic by autumn.

The French presence will be reduced from 2,000 to 800 troops although the security situation in the country remains troubled.

France began sending troops in December 2013 to stabilize the Central African Republic after a Muslim rebel coalition overthrew the president and sectarian violence erupted, killing at least 5,000 people.

 

 Source: Agencies