Authorities said on Monday a boat tilted in southwestern Congo and killed 25 people, many of them soccer players.
Provincial spokesman Alexis Mputu said the players returned from a match from Mushie City in Shanndebe Province on Sunday night.
Mputu suggests that poor visibility at night may be a factor.
Fatal ship accidents are common in Central African countries, where late night trips and overcrowded ships are often blamed. Authorities have been working hard to enforce maritime regulations.
The rivers in Congo are the main means of transport for more than 100 million people, especially in remote areas where infrastructure is poor or non-existent.
Hundreds of people have been killed in ship accidents in recent years as more and more people have abandoned available roads for wooden boats containing passengers and their cargo.
