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| Ferry sinks in Amazon collision | Ferry sinks in Amazon collision |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| At least three people have been killed and 20 are reported missing after a ferry sank as a result of a collision with a barge on the Brazilian Amazon. | At least three people have been killed and 20 are reported missing after a ferry sank as a result of a collision with a barge on the Brazilian Amazon. |
| They collided during the night near Itacoatiara in the jungle state of Amazonas, and most victims seem to have been trapped in cabins on the ferry. | They collided during the night near Itacoatiara in the jungle state of Amazonas, and most victims seem to have been trapped in cabins on the ferry. |
| More than 100 people were aboard the ferry at the time, local sources say. | More than 100 people were aboard the ferry at the time, local sources say. |
| A rescue official said the chances of finding any of the 20 people missing alive were remote. | A rescue official said the chances of finding any of the 20 people missing alive were remote. |
| A navy vessel and a helicopter are being used to help in the search operation. | |
| Lunar eclipse | Lunar eclipse |
| State fire spokesman Lt Clovis Araujo said a nearby floating police station and a number of small boats had rescued 92 people from the ferry, the Almirante Monteiro. | State fire spokesman Lt Clovis Araujo said a nearby floating police station and a number of small boats had rescued 92 people from the ferry, the Almirante Monteiro. |
| There were no reports of damage or casualties aboard the heavy goods barge, he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. | There were no reports of damage or casualties aboard the heavy goods barge, he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. |
| The confirmed dead, he added, were a woman and two children. | The confirmed dead, he added, were a woman and two children. |
| State public safety department spokesman Aguinaldo Rodrigues said that nearly all the survivors appeared to be passengers sleeping in hammocks on the ferry's deck. | State public safety department spokesman Aguinaldo Rodrigues said that nearly all the survivors appeared to be passengers sleeping in hammocks on the ferry's deck. |
| While it was too early to establish the cause of the collision, he added, visibility had been "very poor" during the lunar eclipse which began on Wednesday night. | While it was too early to establish the cause of the collision, he added, visibility had been "very poor" during the lunar eclipse which began on Wednesday night. |
| The collision happened on an isolated stretch of the river. | |
| The ferry had a capacity of 165 passengers but was not full at the time of the accident. | |
| An inquiry will now be launched to try to establish the cause of the collision and an initial report is expected within 90 days. |