HOUSE OF THE WEEK
Three-storey Mayangone villa
MAYANGONE township is the setting for this three-storey villa with oodles of space and mainstream taste. The pillar- and balcony-heavy façade gives a strong indication of what lies inside- more
No deaths in ferry accident
Delta ferry with 86 passengers onboard sinks after hitting rocks near Ngapudaw
(Volume 26, No. 507)
A FERRY operating on the Ngawun River in Ayeyarwady Division sank on January 15 after hitting a submerged reef near Pammawady but no lives were lost in the accident, officials said.
The privately owned Tet Nay Win Tun was carrying 86 passengers when the accident happened, an official from Ngapudaw police station said.
The ferry departed Pathein for Pyinkhayine village in Labutta township at 2am on January 15 and the accident occurred at about 8am near Pammawady in Ngapudaw township.
The craft’s keel hit a submerged reef and quickly began filling with water so the captain, U Myint Htwe, steered the vessel to the bank and the passengers quickly disembarked.
“All the people onboard the ferry could get off safely. They were also able to take out most of their possessions but they couldn’t take things that had been stored in the bottom of the ferry. After they evacuated, the ferry slowly sunk into the water,” the official said. “We are now working to salvage the craft.”
The official said the owner, 67-year-old U Hlaing Tun, and the 49-year-old captain are now being investigated for their role in the incident.
In November 2009, an overloaded passenger ferry, the Nay Myo Tun Gyi, sank in the Ngawun River after colliding with an oil barge. At least 47 people died in the accident and three are still classified as missing.
Following the accident local authorities introduced more stringent safety checks for ferries departing from Pathein. – Translated by Thiri Min Htun
