[Myanmar] 10 Missing, 1 Dead In Kachin Ferry Accident

[News_Editor]

Ferry accidents are not uncommon in Burma. In March, at least 10 persons were killed when a passenger boat sunk in Pathein in the Irrawaddy delta. (PHOTO: muangmya.net)

RANGOON—Five university football players and their coach are among at least 10 people missing after a passenger ferry accident in northern Burma that left at one person dead.

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Saturday that 73 people were rescued in the accident in the Irrawaddy River in Kachin state.

It said the ferry developed engine trouble, drifted through rapid waters under heavy rain and hit some docked vessels before sinking Friday.

The football team members had been travelling to the Kachin state capital of Myitkyina for an inter-university tournament.

People living along Burma’s major rivers and in the vast southern delta region often travel and transport goods by boat because of the lower cost and the inaccessibility of many areas by road.

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