Two boats capsized (傾覆) over the weekend in separate incidents on Congo's vast rivers, leaving 70 people dead and 200 others feared dead, and both vessels were heavily loaded and operating with few safety measures, officials said yesterday.

Early on Sunday, a boat on a river in northwest Equateur Province hit a rock and capsized, provincial spokeswoman Ebale Engumba said. She said more than 70 people were believed dead among 100 estimated passengers. She said officials were investigating why the boat was travelling through the darkness without a light.

In a separate incident in Kasai Occidental Province, 200 people were feared dead after a boat loaded with passengers and fuel drums caught fire and capsized in southern Congo, a survivor said. Another survivor confirmed the account and said local fishermen refused to help drowning passengers who jumped off the crowded boat.

The incident in southern Congo would be the deadliest boat accident in the Central African nation this year, and among the worst in Africa this year.

The boats that traverse Congo's rivers are often in poor repair and filled beyond capacity. The industry is not well-regulated and boat operators are known to fill boats to dangerous levels.In the first incident in northwest Congo, Engumba said officials think the boat's lack of lighting was responsible.

"We are going to arrest people involved who are in charge of regulating (控制) the boat's movement who failed to stop that boat from travelling at night," she said. AP

Posters lining Pyongyang's streets are promoting the Workers' Party convention - North Korea's biggest political meeting in 30 years - as a historic event amid speculation yesterday that leader Kim Jong Il will grant his son a key party position and pave the way for his succession.

Troops, artillery and tanks were massing near the capital of Pyongyang in apparent preparation for a military parade, South Korean officials said.But there was no word in state media on whether the convention, slated for "early September," had begun or when it was scheduled to begin.

The capital was festooned with posters hailing an event that one North Korean professor told broadcaster APTN may be a "turning point" for the communist nation.

Party delegates from all corners of the country were gathering in Pyongyang, North Korea's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary carried yesterday by state media. AP

文：馮寶怡　

圖：香港電台提供

滑翔降傘最平最快

滑翔降傘，很多人可能在陽光與海灘度假時，在快艇後起飛過，無比刺激。

玩了十多年滑翔降傘的袁偉傑（阿傑）笑言那是「被人放飛機，不是飛」，他形容滑翔降傘的飛是自己可以控制的，去東去西，自由自在，活像飛鳥「不像坐飛機，沒有引擎聲沒有『摩打』，只有風聲；飛向山，穿過雲又是山，那是雀仔的感覺。」就是這種感覺令阿傑迷上滑翔降傘，只要風向對風速穩，他一星期有兩三日會去飛天。經濟及簡易亦是令阿傑鍾情此運動的另一原因，只需要一個摺疊妥當後如露營背囊般大小的降傘，加上徒步上山的腿功，就能一嘗飛翔滋味，比起小型飛機、熱氣球、滑翔風箏等飛行運動，阿傑認為滑翔降傘「最平最快最簡單最直接」。

揹着三十磅上山

別以為這老外的玩意，香港場地一定不及外國好，相反，曾在美國三藩市居住的阿傑，獨愛在港起飛。「香港這麼細卻有八個地方可以飛……全部路程都很短，一個小時左右，這裏飛不到就去另一個場，我試過一日飛三個場。」阿傑口中的「場」是滑翔降傘的飛行區，主要在西貢、馬鞍山、大嶼山南面及石澳等地，比起外國動輒幾個小時車程的場地，這些飛行區的確方便。阿傑說香港令想飛的人最痛苦是要徒步上山，外地駕車上山易，有時一開車門就能一躍而下，不用揹着三十多磅的降傘上山。對此阻礙，有人感煩厭，卻阻不到阿傑。「沒辦法，行累了只好休息，揹得重又只好休息……其實這（徒步上山）都是此運動的一部分，要玩就預了要行，就只好揹它上去。」

揹著那三十多磅的裝備，大汗淋漓終到山頂，真正飛行的時間又有多久？阿傑說初學時就只有四分鐘，當時用四十五分鐘上山就只為了那四分鐘，一樣開心滿足。現在有經驗了，懂得找「大自然的動力」—上升的熱空氣，阿傑現時一飛就是一個小時，不再介懷上山的路。「它（傘）載我的時間，一定比我揹它的長！化算！」沒引擎沒「摩打」，靠着空氣上升至700米甚至更高，危險嗎？阿傑直言絕對危險，可以死人，但很多運動都很危險，放棄不如學習。「要知道自己在玩甚麼，如何玩，有風險的就不要做，學識了，理解了就不危險。」

雲中的世界

蔡麗賢（Katherine）是少數的滑翔降傘女飛人，30磅的個人傘難不到她，接近六十磅的雙人傘她照樣揹着上山。地上Katherine是一名護士，工作忙碌，令她堅持在空中要玩得更盡情。玩了滑翔降傘四年多，天空中的寧靜與自由當然美妙，但她最愛的始終是與雲霧擦身而過或陷入其中的矇矇感。「在雲中，好像去了另一個世界，好多霧包圍你……感覺好神奇。」Katherine說一般情況下都不會入雲，因視線不佳，降傘容易相撞，所以她的「另一個世界」都只能偶然一訪。

香港海多過地，進化成半魚人，未嘗不可。劉世文（Simon）潛水二十多年，朋友都笑說他在水中活動自如，就像一條魚，他說自己不像，因為比魚多一雙手。從前的保險工作，令Simon每天都在跑，追生意追數字，他形容那一種「無止境」的跑，直至鍾情潛水，他發現自己可以有其他的生活方式。悠閒的，他出海觀魚聽歌，要刺激的，他相約朋友一起打魚捉蟹，要冒險嗎，他去找沉船反轉大石群。現在Simon滿足於能享受大海「賺幾十億的人和我一樣用這個海，所以我已很滿足，他們在海中都是看這些，我賺不到多少又是看這些。」

貧富同一個海

Simon可能比大部分人看得更多，在香港潛水多年，不時有發現新大陸之感，經常有新鮮事物吸引他繼續潛下去。Simon說不用乘飛機到別處，他在此就見過八爪魚、魷魚、海豚、比12人餐枱大的魔鬼魚，及成群過百條的魔鬼魚。自言中了潛水毒的他，最愛徒手潛水。「徒手潛水的阻力很細是因為裝備少，甚至只有泳褲，連潛水衣都不用，那自由無重的狀態和速度感很舒服。與魚一起游，是沒有距離的接觸。」Simon的朋友說他是魚有理，他最高紀錄徒手潛水四分鐘，那比魚多出的一雙手，讓他成為教練，把更多人帶進海裏。

香港電台電視節目《樂活自由人》第八集「變作鳥和魚」將於9月9日（星期四），晚上7時於亞洲電視本港台播映；港台網站 tv.rthk.hk同步直播及提供重溫。

撰文：EY

撰文：七重

攝影：Ronald Chan @ CR Studio

化妝及髮型：Man Lo @ Vogue Make up

模特兒：Ana J. @ Dream Models