French TV Host, 6 Others Missing on Congo River Trip

Seven members of a raft expedition, including the host of a popular French television program, have been reported missing on a trip down the Congo River, the French Embassy said Saturday.

An army helicopter spotted one of their two metal-covered rafts lying empty on the bank of the river in lower Zaire, an embassy spokesman said.

The expedition had two radios and was in daily contact with Paris. It has not been heard from since Wednesday, said Thierry Sadoun, a member of the group who returned to Paris earlier.

The expedition began on Lake Tanganyika in early July, headed by Philippe de Dieuleveult, host of the French television program “Treasure Hunt.”