Myanmar ferry sinking death toll rises to 52
17 March 2015 12:33 AM GMT
More than 50 people have been confirmed killed in a ferry accident off western Myanmar after rescue teams recovered more bodies from rough waters, police said on Monday, as hopes faded of finding any survivors.
The “Aung Takon 3” sank late Friday after leaving the coastal town of Kyaukphyu on its way to Sittwe in western Rakhine state. “We found 18 more bodies today and the search is still continuing,” Kyaw Thura, a police official in Kyaukphyu, told AFP, adding that the total death toll now stood at 52.
Myanmar state media on today said the ferry was carrying 218 passengers and crew when it sank.
But locals have said they fear far more unregistered ticket-holders may have been on board, a common practice on the impoverished nation’s often overcrowded ferry network.
The “Aung Takon 3” sank late Friday after leaving the coastal town of Kyaukphyu on its way to Sittwe in western Rakhine state. “We found 18 more bodies today and the search is still continuing,” Kyaw Thura, a police official in Kyaukphyu, told AFP, adding that the total death toll now stood at 52.
Myanmar state media on today said the ferry was carrying 218 passengers and crew when it sank.
But locals have said they fear far more unregistered ticket-holders may have been on board, a common practice on the impoverished nation’s often overcrowded ferry network.
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