Five people were killed on Tuesday in an accident involving the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential motorcade and a cement truck.
The three soldiers and two civilians died as President Kabila’s convoy was returning him to the capital, Kinshasa.
11 others were injured in the accident which was confirmed by a presidential spokesman.
AFP reports the spokesman to have said the accident was caused by heavy rain, although early reports indicated that speed was a factor.
Local Okapi radio station also reported witnesses to have pointed to speed as “the main cause” of the incident, which happened 220km (110 miles) south of Kinshasa.
Communications official Yvon Ramazani told AFP “a vehicle in the presidential motorcade was hit on the Matadi highway at Kimpese by a truck carrying cement” on Tuesday evening.
Kabila, who had been opening an oil rig and administrative building in the port city of Matadi, “stayed on the site until the emergency services arrived, and personally supervised the ambulance evacuation of dead and injured”.
The president, who has been in power since 2001, when his father was assassinated, is facing mounting pressure to stand down – his term of office expired in 2016.
