Iraqi officials say the death toll from the sinking of a ferry overloaded with people celebrating the Kurdish new year in northern Iraq has risen to 71.
Maj Gen Saad Maan, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry,says 71 people died and another 55 have been rescued, including 19 children.
Officials say the ferry sank in the Tigris River near thenorthern city of Mosul because of a technical problem, and that there weren’tmany boats in the area to rescue people.
An Iraqi official says a ferry overloaded with peoplecelebrating the Kurdish new year sank in the Tigris river near Mosul, killingat least 40 people.
Col Hussam Khalil, head of the Civil Defense in the Ninevehprovince, told The Associated Press that the accident occurred on Thursday asscores of people were out in the tourist area celebrating Nowruz, which marksthe Kurdish new year and the arrival of spring.
Khalil says many of the dead were women and children, addingthat search operations are still underway. AP