39 people drowned in Brazil's two boating tragedies

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-25 07:54:39|Editor: ying
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BRASILIA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two recent boating tragedies in Brazil have claimed a total of 39 lives, authorities said on Thursday.

The latest incident occurred earlier Thursday near Salvador, capital of Brazil's eastern state of Bahia, where a ship carrying about 116 passengers and four crew members capsized shortly after leaving port at 6:30 p.m local time, drowning a total of 18 people.

Bahia's Health Secretariat said 89 people had been rescued in the afternoon.

In the predawn hours of Wednesday, a tour boat capsized on the Xingu River in Para state, in Brazil's northern Amazon region, killing 21 people.

According to the state Secretariat of Public Security (Segup), 23 people were rescued in that incident, and five people are still missing.

The boat captain said only 49 people were on board at the time, though initially as many as 70 passengers were reported to be sailing.

Survivors said it was raining and a gale tipped the boat over.

River boat accidents are common in Brazil, especially in the Amazon region, where much of the transportation is done through waterways, and boats are often overloaded with passengers.

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