ALBAWABA - The local fire service reported that eight persons were missing when a boat sank on a river near Myanmar's economic capital Yangon.
According to a Facebook post, the boat sank on the Yangon River at roughly 8:10 a.m. local time due to an "accident". It did not specify what had happened or whether additional vessels were involved.
Local media stated that the boat collided with another watercraft. The fire service said that nine of the 17 passengers on board had been rescued, and that search and rescue activities were continuing for the remaining eight.
Boat accidents are widespread in Myanmar, an impoverished nation with basic transportation and loosely implemented safety rules.
Vessels transporting passengers along the coast and rivers are frequently dangerously overloaded, and accidents can result in astonishing fatality rates. It may potentially take many days to rescue all of the bodies.
In 2016, 73 people died after an overcrowded ferry capsized on the Chindwin River in central Myanmar, including many instructors and pupils.
