At least 19 killed in Ethiopian boat tragedy

ADDIS ABABA:

At least 19 people are dead in Ethiopia after a boat capsized on a river in the country's northwest, a state-run media outlet said on Sunday.

The tragedy occurred in the Amhara region on Saturday as a group of people were crossing the river Tekeze, which partly forms the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the state-run Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) reported.

At least 26 people were on board when the accident occurred.

Seven people including a child have been rescued while only two bodies have been retrieved so far, according to EPA.

It was second major incident in Ethiopia in recent days. On Monday, a landslide in the south killed over 250 people.