World News
Ferry Capsizes on Myanmar’s Ngawun River Leaving 20 Dead and Dozens Missing
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At least 20 people died and more than a dozen are missing after a ferry boat capsized in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta, police said on Saturday.
Thirty people were rescued after the ferry Ngwe Kyare Pwint capsized in the Ngawun River, an Irrawaddy tributary, at around 7:30pm Friday, police officer Nay Lin Tun said. About 66 people were on the ferry, which capsized after colliding with a boat carrying gravel.
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The ferry was travelling from Pathein to Yakhinekone village. Most of the passengers were returning from a wedding ceremony.
Twenty bodies — four male and 16 female — had been recovered as of Saturday morning, according to local authorities engaged in the search and rescue operation.
Boat accidents are fairly common in Myanmar, where many people travel by boat and government oversight is lax. Poor maintenance and overcrowding make the vessels prone to capsizing.
People living in the delta region often travel and transport goods by boat because of the low cost and the inaccessibility of many areas by road.
In October, 48 people died when an overcrowded ferry capsized during a nighttime run on the Chindwin river in central Myanmar.
The Associated Press