MCHINJI, Malawi, April 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 people are feared dead in Malawi's western border district of Mchinji after the boat they were traveling in to cross a river capsized late Wednesday afternoon, local authorities have confirmed.
The boat is reported to carry 22 people, 19 adults and three children, who were crossing the river to a village on the other side to attend a funeral.
An eye witness told the Malawi News Agency that the boat, which was supposed to carry 10 people only, had 22 people on board, leading to the tragedy as it could not support the weight of the passengers.
Five of the people managed to swim to the other side of the river with the help of locals, while 17 people drowned, according to Fred Movete, the district commissioner, and John Nkhoma, the officer-in-charge for the district's police station.
Search and rescue efforts by the locals proved futile Wednesday, and marine rescue experts were deployed Thursday to carry out a search and rescue exercise. ■