Myanmar: 7 dead after boat sinks in Rakhine state

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar (AA) – At least seven people were killed in a boat accident in western Rakhine state of Myanmar on the first day of country’s traditional New Year celebrations, officials said Thursday.

A wooden motor boat, carrying 61 people, sank early morning when fishing net got wrapped around its propeller in a river near Kyauktaw town in northern part of Rakhine state.

Myanmar’s fire services department said in a press release that seven people died and another went missing after the accident.

It said four others were also injured, while search work for the missing person is in progress.

Boat accidents are common in Myanmar, where residents who live along the nation's long coastline and flood-prone river systems rely heavily on often-overcrowded ferries for transport.

Thirty people, mostly children and women, died last Saturday when a wedding boat carrying 60 people collided with a cargo in Myanmar’s delta area.

A police officer in Kyauktaw town police station told Anadolu Agency on Thursday that the passengers were from a nearby village and on their way to pagodas in Kyauktaw town, a major pilgrim site where a famous Buddhist temple, Mahamuni image, is situated.

“They left their village very early morning for the pilgrimage on New Year’s holidays,” said police officer Kyaw Hla Sein by phone.

Myanmar begins four-day Thingyan water splashing festival across the country on Thursday, welcoming the traditional New Year.