Vessel Collision in Myanmar: 20 Die, 40 Survive
A total of 40 passengers have been rescued after two vessels collided in Pathein, southwestern Myanmar's Ayeyawaddy region Friday night, in which 20 others have been confirmed killed, Xinhua reported quoting Pathein Water Transport Police.
With about 60 passengers aboard, a passenger vessel named Ngwe Kyal Pwint (Silver Star) sank after it collided with another ship loaded with stones near Pathein Taman Creek at 8 p.m. local time on Friday night.
Of the dead, officials said 16 were women and four were men. The victims include three children.
AP reports that fatal boat accidents are common in Myanmar, a poor country with rudimentary transport and weakly-enforced safety regulations. Vessels ferrying people along the country’s coastline and rivers are often dangerously overcrowded, and accidents can have staggering death tolls.
In October, 48 people died when an overcrowded ferry capsized during a nighttime run on the Chindwin river in central Burma.
