36 drown in windstorm in W. African nation of Togo

LOME, Togo – An official in the West African nation of Togo says 36 people are dead after a boating disaster on a lake.

Col. Damehane Yark, commander of the national police force, confirmed the toll Monday to The Associated Press.

Togo's Nana FM radio station reported that most of the victims were students who had drowned when four canoes capsized Sunday in a windstorm on the lake.

The students had been returning from a cultural drumming and dancing session.

Last Saturday, 26 citizens from neighboring Burkina Faso were also killed in Togo in a road accident on a bridge that was being repaired.