Nile ferry accident

As many as 50 Sudanese schoolchildren may have died after a wooden ferry boat capsized in the fast-flowing Blue Nile river in the east of the country, according to a regional governor.

The accident happened near the central town of Singa, about 200 miles (320km) south of the capital Khartoum.

The overloaded ferry capsized in midstream on Wednesday, killing up to 50 pupils aged 10 to 17 who were crossing from the east to the west bank of the swollen river, Sennar state governor Younis al-Sherif said.

He said another 17 passengers survived the accident, adding that "none of the bodies has yet been recovered" from the fast-flowing waters of the river.

Divers

Recovery teams and divers are still working to recover the bodies.

Sudan's state-run Suna news agency said the boys and girls from primary and Koranic schools in villages on the east bank, were crossing the river to visit their families on the west bank.

It added that the boat was overloaded with 10 bags of maize and 30 bags of sweet potatoes.

The Blue Nile is particularly swollen and treacherous at this time of year.

Many local people live on the west bank but farm on the east, forcing them to make repeated crossings of the fast-flowing river.