Myanmar ferry capsize kills 20; over a dozen missing

Of the 66 passengers who were on the vessel as it collided with a boat carrying gravel, 30 have been rescued

In this image made from a video provided by DVB, people gather near the Ngawun river in Pathein, Myanmar after a ferry sank there around 7-30 p.m. on April 7, 2017. Boat accidents due to overcrowded vessels are common in Myanmar.

A ferry boat capsized in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwaddy delta, killing 20 people and leaving more than a dozen missing, police said.

Thirty people were rescued after the ferry capsized in the Ngawun river at around 7-30 p.m. on Friday, police officer Nay Lin Tun said. About 66 people were on the ferry, which capsized after colliding with a boat carrying gravel.

The ferry was going from Pathein to Yakhinekone village. Most of the ferry’s passengers were returning from a wedding ceremony.

Common here

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 capsize. 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.