20 killed in Myanmar wedding boat crash

At least 20 people were killed when a boat carrying scores of wedding guests collided with a river barge in Western Myanmar, authorities said on Saturday, with more feared drowned as rescuers searched for the missing.

The boat, called "Silver Star" in Burmese, sank Friday evening in a river near Pathein, a port city west of commercial capital Yangon.

It was believed to be carrying around 60 passengers on their way home from a wedding ceremony, according to a local police officer. Of the dead, officials said 16 were women and four were men. "They were crossing to the other side of the river after attending a wedding in Pathein. Most of them were relatives from the same village," said the policeman, who requested anonymity. Both ships were unlit when they collided in the middle of the river, he added."We estimate nine people are still missing," regional MP Aung Thu Htwe said, adding that some 30 people had been rescued alive the night before.