Iraqis take a ride in a ferry across the Tigris river. File/AFP

MOSUL: At least 70 people died when an overcrowded ferry carrying families sank on Thursday in a swollen river in northern Iraq during Kurdish New Year celebrations, officials said.

Dozens of people were missing after the disaster on the Tigris in the city of Mosul, according to an interior ministry official who did not want to be named.

"The boat sank because there were too many passengers on board, more than a hundred," another security official based in Mosul told reporters.

The vessel was packed with men, women and children crossing the Tigris to go to a popular picnic area, he said.

The authorities had warned people to be careful after several days of heavy rains led to water being released through the Mosul dam, causing the river level to rise.

Agence France-Presse