20 Dead Over A Dozen Missing As Ferry Capsizes In Myanmar
MEP: A ferry boat has capsized in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwaddy delta, killing 20 people and leaving more than a dozen missing, police said.
Most of the dead were women, according officials, who said the boat sank on Friday evening when it collided with a river barge in Pathein, a port city west of the commercial capital Yangon.
The ferry was going from Pathein to Yakhinekone village. Most of the ferry’s passengers were returning from a wedding ceremony.
Regional MP Aung Thu Htwe told AFP on Saturday morning, “We estimate nine people are still missing and some 30 people had been rescued alive the night before.”
The boat was believed to be carrying between 60 and 80 people when it sank, according to state media and a local police officer.
Boat accidents are fairly common in Myanmar, where many people travel by boat and government oversight is lax. Poor maintenance and overcrowding makes 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.
