Mali barge collision on Niger river kills 19

BAMAKO, Dec 21 (Reuters) Nineteen people were killed in Mali when two barges collided at night on the Niger river, some 40 km from the ancient city of Gao, the Amap state news agency today said.

The scale of the collision early on Tuesday was so violent the two boats sank immediately, the agency reported. One had just left Gao and the other was travelling from the nearby town of Temena.

Seven people were still missing as the barges were heavily laden with passengers and baggage, Amap said.

The barge coming from Gao, a dusty stopover on the trans-Saharan caravan route, was carrying Malian migrants returning from Ghana, Nigeria and Libya to visit their families.

The Niger, Africa's third-longest river, runs in a crescent from Guinea across Mali and Niger and down through Nigeria to the Gulf of Guinea.

Its massive inland delta, the size of Belgium, irrigates parts of the arid Sahel and provides a vital transport route during the months of high waters.

Reuters SY GC2013