A powerful earthquake toppled homes onto children in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo today, killing at least two people in a region already beset by war, poverty and volcanoes.

UP to 150 Congolese drowned after an overloaded ferry carrying around 200 passengers capsized in bad weather on East Africa’s Lake Tanganyika at the weekend, port and militia officials said yesterday.

More than 100 people are feared dead after an overloaded ferry sank in eastern Congo’s Lake Tanganyika, a rebel official said today.

The United Nations and the Rwandan government today urged refugees from the volcano in eastern Congo to gather in approved camps, where aid agencies could deliver food, water and shelter - but most Congolese just want to go home.

Strong winds on Africa's deepest lake have sunk a ship in south east Congo, killing at least six passengers.