Nearly 100 feared dead in Myanmar after military ship capsizes

Illustrative picture of Myanmar military ships.

BANGKOK (dpa): Nearly 100 people in Myanmar are thought to have died in a serious shipping accident on the Chindwin River in the north-western region of Sagaing, according to witnesses and reports.

More than 100 people were on board a vessel that was part of a larger military convoy, according to The Irrawaddy newspaper, citing the army and local residents.

Seven people were found alive. On Thursday (Sept 21) seven bodies were recovered, but everyone else is missing and presumed dead following the accident, which occurred on Tuesday.

The ship was carrying soldiers and was part of a convoy bringing supplies and new troops to the embattled region, when it ran aground on rocks near the village of Mingin. The current there was strong and the vessel capsized.

Alongside soldiers, teachers and students were also reportedly on board.

Resistance to the military coup in Myanmar is strong in Sagaing where the military is struggling to impose control, leading to more violence in the area. Anti-coup forces impose their own rules in areas under their control.

More than 700,000 people there have been displaced due to army attacks.

Rescue attempts were hampered because soldiers were on the vessel.

"When a ship sinks, people here usually help each other to rescue it, but since the coup, the situation is very risky," local resident Min Thu told dpa on Friday, noting many people were afraid because it was a military ship.

"I think there is no proper rescue equipment to save the people," he said.

"Currently no hope is alive for the victims with bad weather and strong currents and the bodies could not be brought out. But some bodies were seen.”

Myanmar has been ruled with an iron fist since the coup in February 2021 which ousted Aung San Suu Kyi. She had served as state counsellor and was the de-facto head of government. She is currently serving a sentence of more than 30 years on a range of charges.

Since then, Myanmar has been mired in chaos and violence. The military junta has imprisoned more than 21,300 people since the coup, and around 17,400 are still in custody, while at least 3,200 people have been killed.