Rio de Janeiro - The number of dead in a boat accident in the Brazilian Amazonian state of Amapa could be as high as 47, authorities said Wednesday after finding 34 dead bodies since the weekend accident. A further 13 passengers on the boat, Comandante Sales, remained missing Wednesday. A search was underway by 120 Fire Department and Civil Defence officers supported by Navy boats, helicopters and airplanes.
The unlicensed ship floundered and partially sank Sunday in the Solimoes River near the town of Manacapuru, some 80 kilometres from Amapa state capital Manaus. An estimated 110 passengers were travelling on the boat at the time of the accident, based on the accounts of survivors.
The shipwreck occurred some 20 minutes after the boat left Lago del Pesquero, where many of the passengers had taken part in a religious celebration. Many of the passengers were able to swim to the riverbank.
Another boat immediately went to the aid of the passengers, and Fire Department forces later succeeded in getting the ship righted and anchoring it on the riverbank.
The Navy Command said in a statement on Sunday that the ship had not been unauthorized to leave port since January, because it lacked the necessary documents and its crew lacked required training.
The authorities have launched an investigation into the causes of the accident.
Manacapuru police commissioner Antonio Rodrigues da Silva said eight survivors agreed that the boat was carrying an excessive number of passengers at the time of the accident, although it remained unclear whether that had caused the accident.
"We have to deepen the investigation to evaluate the condition of the boat's structure," said Rodrigues da Silva.
He added that the owner of the Comandante Sales and two members of his family are among the dead.
