KINSHASA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo have detained a cargo ship after its crew beat and threw overboard four Congolese stowaways, one of whom is now missing, a provincial government official said on Thursday. The Xland, a Panamanian-registered cargo vessel, was moored offshore in the Congo River near the central African nation's main port, Matadi, late on Monday when its Ukrainian and Filipino crew discovered the four men. "They started to beat them and then threw them into the water, giving them an empty five-litre jug to use as a life buoy," Davide Kuku, interior minister of Congo's western Bas-Congo province, told Reuters. "Our naval forces rescued three men, but there is one missing ... I have no idea why they did this," he said. Congolese authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident, Kuku said. The ship and its crew are being held in Matadi while investigations are underway. (Reporting by Joe Bavier; Editing by David Lewis)
An indigenous Panamanian takes part in a protest in Panama, to commemorate the anniversary of the first Spanish landing 517 years ago, October 12, 2009. Hundreds of indigenous people from different ...
