Dozens missing, 8 dead as Myanmar ferry sinks

Vessel carrying 176 passengers collides with barge in Irrawaddy Delta

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updated 7:25 a.m. ET Nov. 16, 2009

YANGON, Myanmar - A ferry carrying nearly 200 passengers sank after colliding with an oil barge in a river in Myanmar, killing at least eight and leaving more than three dozen missing, officials said Monday.

The motorized ferry "Nay Win Tun" carrying 176 people sank in the Ngawun River after the collision, 84 miles west of Yangon.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information, said the accident in the Irrawaddy Delta occurred around 8 p.m. Sunday, and most of the passengers were farmers.

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People living in the delta region, also known as the Ayeyarwady, often travel and transport goods by boat because of the low cost and inaccessibility of many areas by road.