Five die in Myanmar canal collision

Yangon, May 13: Five people died and nine were missing after a small passenger ferry and a double-decker passenger and cargo ship collided in a canal 19 miles southwest of Yangon, a local police officer said.

Five bodies were recovered from the canal and rescue workers continued to search for the missing, an officer at the Twante Police Station told Reuters.

The double-decker carried about 30 passengers and a cargo of coconuts and bananas while the ferry had about 50 people on board when they crashed in the Twante Canal shortly before noon yesterday, the officer said.

Marine accidents are common in river delta and coastal regions in military-ruled Myanmar.

The collision was the second accident in less than two months.

On March 24, 16 people were killed after a boat capsized near a river confluence about 30 miles southwest of Yangon.

Reuters>