At least 36 people were killed as a boat was capsized by a windstorm late Sunday on the Lake Togo, 40 km east of capital Lome, according to official sources on Monday.
The victims were local villagers who were returning from a funeral on the other side of the lake. It took survivors almost an hour to swim over to the nearest lakeshore.
Togolese Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo extended his condolences to the families of the victims on Monday.
There were no words about the exact number of passengers traveling on that sinking boat as some local sources said the boat was over-loaded. The sources said another body was retrieved Monday afternoon, suggesting that the casualties may still climb.
The accident occurred on a lake surface that is so far away from either side of the lakeshore, thus making it hard for rescuers to hear cries for help, not to mention launching timely rescue operation.
"The bodies would have to wait to be collected when they surfaced in the lake, and that would usually take three days," local residents said.