River ferry sinks in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 20 people

At least 20 people were killed when a boat sank while crossing a river in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday morning, a Taliban official said.

Quraishi Badlon, provincial director of the information and culture department in Nangarhar province, said that the boat sank while crossing a river in Mohmand Dara district, killing 20 people including women and children.

Badlon said that the boat was carrying 25 people, according to village residents, of whom five survived.

Rescuers search for survivors of sunken boat in Mohmand Dara district of Nangarhar province. AP

So far five bodies have been retrieved including a man, a woman, two boys and a girl, said the Nangarhar health department in a statement. It added that a medical team and ambulances were sent to the area.

The officials didn’t provide details on the cause of the accident and said that rescuers are still searching for other bodies.

Residents of the area frequently use locally made boats to travel between villages and local markets.

Agence France-Presse