Boat carrying people capsizes in Myanmar 7 dead, 30 missing

Seven people are confirmed dead and more than 30 are missing after a boat whose passengers included villagers fleeing from fighting in Myanmar capsized in the Andaman Sea a rescue worker and local media said MondayAbout 30 people have been rescued from the boat which on Sunday was carrying an estimated 7075 people to the nearby coastal town of Myeik in Myanmars southern region of Tanintharyi from the island of Kyauk Kar which is in an estuary leading to the sea according to a villager helping rescue operationsThe crowded passenger boat set out from Kyauk Kar at 930 pm on Sunday and sank near the mouth of the estuary about 15 minutes later said the villager speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he feared being arrested by the militaryThe cause of the accident was unclear but the villager said the boat which normally carries a maximum of 3040 passengers was overcrowded with people and commodities and there were strong currents in the seaKyauk Kar is about 520 kilometres south of Yangon Myanmars biggest city It is located near other villages where fighting is taking place between the Myanmar army and prodemocracy guerrillas Most of the passengers on the boat came from where the fighting had been going on for about a week the villager saidMyanmar is wracked by violence that began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 Opponents of military rule launched an armed resistance movement and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflictTanintharyi region has been a stronghold of the resistance According to a report of the local research group FE5 Tanintharyi during September about 20 civilians were killed 308 people were arrested by the army and about 59000 people were displaced by the fighting in Tanintharyi regionDawei Watch an independent online news service based in Tanintharyi and other local media have reported that fighting has intensified since last Monday in the villages of Kye and Me Laung Chaung about 10 kilometres east of Kyauk Kar after hundreds of army troops marched into them to attack local resistance fightersThe reports also said the military launched airstrikes on Kye village on Wednesday and that many hundreds of people were fleeing to nearby villages and towns for safetyDawei Watch said the boats passengers include people who had been trapped on a highway by the fighting as well as studentsThe sea route has been the major transportation link for the areas villages since the fighting blocked major roads Much transport in Myanmar is on rivers or along the sea coast and accidents sometimes claim dozens of livesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever