7 dead, at least 30 missing in Myanmar after boat carrying people who fled fighting capsized

Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Seven people are confirmed dead and more than 30 are missing after a boat whose passengers included villagers fleeing from fighting in Myanmar capsized in the Andaman Sea. A villager helping rescue operations says about 30 people have been rescued from the boat, which on Sunday was carrying an estimated 70-75 people. It was heading to the nearby coastal town of Myeik in Myanmar’s southern region of Tanintharyi from the village island of Kyauk Kar, in an estuary leading to the sea. The cause of the accident was unclear, but the villager said the boat was overcrowded with people and commodities, and there were strong currents in the sea.