At least 38 killed and more than 100 missing after ferry carrying people traveling for Christmas sank in the Busira River.

At least 38 people have died and more than 100 others remain missing after a ferry carrying passengers travelling for Christmas capsized on a river in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to officials and witnesses.

Twenty people have been rescued so far after the ferry sank late on Friday in the Busira River. It was travelling as part of a convoy of other vessels and the passengers were primarily merchants returning home for Christmas, said Joseph Joseph Kangolingoli, the mayor of Ingende, the last town on the river before the site of the accident.

According to Ingende resident Ndolo Kaddy, the ferry carried “more than 400 people because it made two ports, Ingende and Loolo, on the way to Boende, so there is reason to believe there were more deaths”, The Associated Press news agency reported.

Central government authorities have yet to comment on the incident and offer further details about rescue operations. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the casualty figures reported by AP.

Congolese officials have often warned against overloading boats and pledged to punish those violating safety measures on rivers. However, in remote areas, many people cannot afford public transportation on the few available roads.

The incident comes less than four days after another boat capsized in the country’s northeast, killing 25 people.

At least 78 people drowned in October when a boat that was reportedly carrying hundreds of passengers capsized on Lake Kivu, in the country’s east.

Another 80 lost their lives in a similar accident on the Kwa River, about 70km (43 miles) from the city of Mushie in Mai-Ndombe province, near Kinshasa, in June.