Two people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo after showing symptoms similar to those caused by the deadly Ebola virus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.

A rickshaw driver and one of his passengers died in Bumba, 500 km north of Mbandaka, while the driver's wife who had displayed the same symptoms was in intensive care, the WHO said.

Swabs taken from the bodies of the two victims will be sent to South Africa for tests, the WHO said.

Ebola, which kills through massive internal bleeding, was first identified in 1976 and has since killed about 1,000 people.

The virus is transmitted through direct contact with body fluids of infected persons. There is no cure, and between 50 percent and 90 percent of victims die within a few days.

The last confirmed Ebola outbreak occurred in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2005, killing eight people.

Source: Xinhua