Sri Lanka, April 17 -- A boat has capsized after catching fire in northwestern Congo, leaving at least 50 people dead and hundreds missing, a local official said on Wednesday.

Dozens were saved following the accident on the Congo River late on Tuesday night, many of them with bad burns. The search for the missing was underway Wednesday with rescue teams supported by the Red Cross and provincial authorities.

The motorized wooden boat with about 400 passengers caught fire near the town of Mbandaka, Competent Loyoko, the river commissioner, told The Associated Press. The boat, HB Kongolo, had left the port of Matankumu for the Bolomba territory.

About 100 survivors were taken to an improvised shelter at the Mbandaka town hall. Those with ...