Eighteen feared dead in Nicaragua boat accident

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Nov 21 (Reuters) Eighteen people were feared dead after a boat hit rocks and capsized on a river in northeastern Nicaragua, police said.

Five bodies were found, including those of two children, after the accident that took place yesterday on the Tuma River in the department of Matagalpa.

The boat was carrying passengers on a shopping trip.

Police suspended the search for the remaining passengers. ''They are believed to be drowned,'' police captain Diana Miranda told Reuters.

The boat's captain was the only person found alive so far.

REUTERS SB VV1027