42 missing after canoe capsizes

2009-01-13 10:05

Bissau - Authorities in Guinea Bissau said on Monday more than 40 people were missing after a wooden canoe capsized in strong winds on a river in the West African nation.

The passenger boat overturned late on Sunday with 46 people aboard near the town of Biombo, just west of the capital Bissau, Transport Minister Jose Antonio Almaeda said.

Fishermen on the Geba River rescued three people and found the corpse of one person, Almaeda said. Forty-two other people were missing, he said.

Small wooden canoes are a common means of transport in Africa, and are frequently overloaded with passengers and goods.

But Almaeda blamed strong winds for the weekend tragedy and said the canoe, with a capacity to carry 60 people, was not overloaded at the time.

The boat was travelling between Biombo and nearby Pecixe Island at the time, Almaeda said.

- AP