YANGON: -- A passenger ferry has sunk off the coast of western
Myanmar leaving at least 21 people dead and 26 missing, police said.
The "Aung Takon" went down late Friday after leaving the town of Kyaukphyu on its way to Sittwe in western Rakhine state.
"We have got 21 dead bodies, 2 men and 19 women. About 26 passengers are
still missing," a police officer in Sittwe town who requested anonymity
told AFP.
He added 167 people have been rescued, and that no foreigners were believed to be on board the doomed ship.
Three navy boats and a host of private vessels were sent to scour the
area after news emerged that the ferry had gone down shortly after 8.30
pm (1400 GMT Friday).
"We suspect that the boat sank because it was overloaded with goods,"
the police officer said, adding that rescuers were still searching for
survivors.
Many Myanmar citizens living along the impoverished nation's lengthy
coastline and flood prone river systems rely heavily on poorly
maintained ferries for transportation.
Sinkings are not uncommon. Ten people were killed in 2010 when a ferry
capsized in the Irrawaddy delta region, while 38 perished in 2008 when a
ship went down in the Yway River.
No comments:
Post a Comment