Staff ReporterA boat carrying about 70 people has sunk on a major river in northern Brazil, leaving at least seven dead and dozens more missing, according to authorities.
The public security office of the state of Para on Wednesday said that 25 people made it to the shore and seven bodies, including of a teenager and a child, were recovered. At least 40 others were missing.
Authorities said the boat was traveling on the Xingu River when it sank late on Tuesday.
The cause was not immediately clear.
The Folha de S. Paulo newspaper said the vessel left on Monday night from Santarem and was heading to Vitoria do Xingu.
Travel by river is common in Brazil’s northern states, which include the Amazon rainforest and have relatively fewer major roads.
In early August, a cargo vessel collided with a tugboat on the Amazon River, also in the state of Para.
Only two people were rescued out of 11 aboard the tugboat.
