37 Feared Dead In Cameroon Boat Accident

Government officials and witnesses say at least three dozen people are missing and feared dead after a weekend ferryboat accident off the coast of Cameroon.

Survivor Emmanuel Akimba said Wednesday by telephone that a wave swamped the wooden vessel and split it into pieces Sunday as it was transporting 43 people in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea.

Jules Marcelin Njaga of the local government area in Cameroon where six survivors were taken for treatment said it was unclear what happened to the other passengers of the boat.

Boat accidents are common in West Africa, where road systems are poor and many people rely on rickety watercraft to move their wares to market.