At least 33 dead when Myanmar ferry sinks
Date March 15, 2015 - 2:18AM
A survivor from a ferry accident in Myanmar that claimed at least 33 lives is carried by two Myanmar army soldiers from a navy vessel at Kyaukphyu jetty in western Myanmar Rakhine state. Photo: MYANMAR NEWS AGENCY
Rescuers were frantically searching for survivors Saturday after an overloaded ferry sank in rough waters off the coast of western Myanmar killing more than 30 people and leaving at least a dozen more missing.
The "Aung Takon 3" sank on Friday night after leaving the town of Kyaukphyu on its way to Sittwe in western Rakhine state, police said.
"The latest death toll is 33 -- four men including a monk and 29 women. At least 12 persons are still missing," a police officer in Sittwe town told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Survivors of a ferry tragedy, which killed at least 33 people in Myanmar on Friday, March 13, are brought to safety.
He said on Saturday that 169 people had been rescued, and that no foreigners were believed to be on board the ship.
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"We suspect that the boat sank because it was overloaded with goods," the police officer said, adding that the ship was listed as carrying 214 passengers and crew.
But locals said they feared the ferry was packed with unregistered ticket holders who would not have shown up on the ship's manifest, a common practice on the impoverished nation's often overcrowded ferry network.
"We don't know how many are still missing because some people were on board without official tickets," Hla Shwe, a local from Ngaputhone village, which lies a few kilometres away from where the ship went down, told AFP by telephone.
"There are many dead bodies which didn't appear yet," local MP Maung Lone said.
Three navy boats and a host of private vessels were sent to scour the area after news emerged that the ferry had sunk shortly after 8.30 pm local time.
Many Myanmar citizens living along the 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.
Locals said the area where the "Aung Takon 3" capsized was notorious for its treacherous waters.
"The tide there is very strong and the sea very rough. Fishing boats have often sunk in that area many times before," Sittwe town resident Thein Zaw told AFP.
