Iran Press/ Africa: The train was running between the villages of Kitenta and Buyofwe in Lualaba Province in the south of the country on Friday when it derailed.
It came off the rails going up a slope and then crashed.
"Seven of 10 carriages ended up in the ravine," Clementine Lutanda, the local administrator, told the DPA news agency, adding that there were still bodies trapped in the rubble.
The UN radio station Okapi reports that the passengers were illegally hitching a ride on the freight train.
Dozens were severely injured and taken to the hospital in nearby Lubudi.
Much of DRC's rail network dates back to the colonial era and has not been well maintained.
211
