13 Die in Boat Crash in Amazon River

Brasilia, 22 Feb (Prensa Latina) The authorities and first aid lifesavers reinitiated the search for people disappeared during the shipwreck of the ship of passengers Almirante Monteiro, that took place on Thursday in Amazon River.

According to what the fire brigade told TV Amazonas, 13 people died including four children when a riverboat crashed into a ferryboat in the Amazon River.

Same source indicated 92 passengers and crew members survived the strong current that the river has in the place where the shipwreck happened, far-off 108 miles Manaus, capital of Amazonas State.

Crew members of the ship of passengers Almirante Monteiro, who sank when hitting a load raft, told police that 110 people traveled in the boat, reason why firefighters still look for five people who disappeared in the accident.

The official causes of the accident have not been stated either. February is regarded as the rainiest month of the year in the Amazon rainforest region, where constant rain turn the December-May period into the local "winter," despite the fact that it is summer in the southern hemisphere. Although rainfalls have an influence over the rivers' flow, which has not yet been confirmed to have contributed to the accident.

Divers and two helicopters are currently working in the rescue mission.

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