At least 100 passengers are feared dead after a boat sank on Lake Tanganyika, off the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The vessel was travelling from the town of Kalemie, in the south-east, to Moba at the time.

Few details are known, but a Congolese maritime official said there were not thought to be any survivors. Thirteen bodies have so far been recovered.

Bad weather causes many accidents on the lake at this time of year, but rarely is such a big boat affected.

"Thirteen bodies have been recovered, including nine children," a maritime inspector in Kalemie told the AFP news agency.

Boating disasters on Lake Tanganyika have become frequent occurrences in recent years.

Correspondents say that due to the poor infrastructure in the war-ravaged DR Congo, ferries are the cheapest and most popular form of transport between lakeside towns.