BAGHDAD, Nov. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- At least five Iraqis were killed and 27 others missing on Tuesday when an overcrowded barge capsizedin the Tigris river in northern Iraq, police said.

    The barge, carrying 44 people, was trying to cross the river near the town of Zakho in the northern Iraqi province of Duhouk, when it overturned due to turbulent currents, said the police.

    Twelve people were rescued and the search for more survivors wasstill underway, added the police.

    The passengers, mainly Kurds from neighboring Turkey, were leaving Iraq after spending several days or weeks near the border, which had been closed by the government since the start of the offensive against insurgents in the Sunni city of Fallujah earlier this month, according to witnesses.

    They said the passengers had just found out that the border withTurkey was reopened and that many people were heading there. Enditem