Hundreds of people are feared to have drowned after a convoy of boats sank in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday night.

Officially, there were 122 passengers on board, of whom 108 have been rescued, leaving 14 unaccounted for.

But local politician Didace Pembe has warned that hundreds more could still be missing and eyewitnesses have told the BBC there were far more than 122 people on board the boats.

Mr. Pembe has also called on the authorities to provide medical care for the survivors.

Travelling on the waterways is common in the province of Mai Ndombe, due to the poor state of the roads.

However, local boats seldom have passenger lists showing the correct number of people on board.

And safety measures - aiming to prevent overloading and limit night sailings - are not always enforced.