YANGON: At least 11 bodies have been recovered after a boat carrying around 90 passengers, mostly students, sank off Myanmar’s southern coast, AFP reported on Monday, citing local sources.
Rescue teams are still searching for more than a dozen people reported missing after the vessel went down near Myeik city in the Tanintharyi region.
The tragedy occurred on Sunday evening when the overloaded boat, returning from a two-week break, left Kyauk Kar village around 9 pm local time (1430 GMT), according to a monk from the village who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
“The boat was overloaded and left too late. It sank shortly after departing,” he said.
The monk confirmed that nine survivors had been rescued, and the bodies of 11 victims had been found—10 recovered Sunday night and one on Monday morning.
However, none of the recovered bodies were of students. Villagers held cremations for the victims as the search for others continued.
Reports on the total number of rescued passengers varied, with a local media outlet stating that around 60 people had been saved and placing the number of missing at 17.
Myanmar’s rudimentary transport infrastructure and weakly enforced safety regulations often lead to dangerous overcrowding on vessels navigating the country’s coastlines and rivers.
