SUDAN – At least 15 people died after a passenger ferry capsized in Nile River, Sudan on Wednesday.

Over 27 people, including women, children and elderly individuals, were traveling on the ferry between the Taiba Al-Khawad and Deim Al-Qarray areas in the Shendi locality, the Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement.

It said that 15 bodies have been recovered so far and six people rescued, while local residents and civil defense teams continue to search for those still missing.

The network said the tragedy highlights the vulnerability of river transport and the lack of basic safety measures as well as the absence of local authorities and civil defense teams during the initial hours, “which exacerbated the scale of the disaster.”

“The Sudan Doctors Network demands that the competent authorities take urgent action to dispatch specialized rescue teams and search and rescue equipment,” it added, calling for immediate measures to ensure the safety of river transport and prevent the recurrence of such disasters that claim the lives of the innocent.