Boat carrying 100 sinks in Amazon
Pastor Dale Morgan
Boat carrying 100 sinks in Amazon*
From correspondents in Brazil
May 05, 2008 08:08am
Article from: Reuters
A BOAT carrying about 110 people, more than twice its capacity, has sunk
on a major river in the Amazon rain forest.
The boat sank before 6am local time on the Solimoes River, about 80km
from Manaus, a spokesman for the fire department in the town of
Manacapuru said.
It was returning an estimated 110 revellers from a party in the interior
of the state, he said.
Fifteen bodies were found and an unknown number was still missing,
Coronel Antonio Dias, commander of the Amazonas fire brigade, said.
According to CBN radio, as many as 150 people were on board the boat,
which had a capacity of 50 people.
Forty-three fire fighters, including 16 divers, were participating in
the rescue operation, which could take several days in the silty river,
Col Dias said.
Boats traveling on the many rivers in the Amazon region are frequently
loaded beyond capacity and are seldom controlled by authorities.
"There are thousands of these boats in the region and strong currents in
the rivers, so these accidents happen," said Col Dias.