Myanmar ferry sinks, killing at least 32

A ferry has sunk in Myanmar's Chindwin River, killing at least 32 people with scores missing,.

A ferry has sunk in a river in northwestern Myanmar, killing at least 32 people with scores missing.

About 150 people had been rescued from the Chindwin River in the Sagaing region after the ferry capsized on Saturday, said Sa Willy Frank, head of the regional relief department.

As of about 4 pm on Monday, 32 bodies had been recovered, leaving more than 60 people still unaccounted for amid a continuing salvage operation, he said.

Local parliamentarian Kyaw Htay Lwin said the number of missing could be higher.

"I heard from witnesses that the boat was packed with at least 300 passengers, despite its official capacity of around 120," he said.

The ferry was travelling from Homalin to Monywa when it sank at about 5 am on Saturday close to Kani, about 137 km northwest of Myanmar's former royal capital, Mandalay.


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world