SUDAN: 24 schoolchildren drown after boat sinks

At least 24 children on their way to school and a health worker have drowned when their boat sank in northern Sudan. More than 40 children were on the boat, whose engine failed in a strong current as it crossed a 2.5km (1.6m) flooded area near the River Nile. The children, who were between the […]

At least 24 children on their way to school and a health worker have drowned when their boat sank in northern Sudan.

More than 40 children were on the boat, whose engine failed in a strong current as it crossed a 2.5km (1.6m) flooded area near the River Nile.

The children, who were between the ages of seven and 16, began to panic, leaned to one side and the boat overturned, the school’s headmaster told the BBC.

Only two bodies have been found.

Ab el-Khayr Adam Yunis, the headmaster of the Kenba High School, said the pupils usually go to school on foot, but have been using a boat for the past week due to flooding after heavy rain.

“Those who died were mostly girls,” he said.

“One family lost five daughters, and another three families lost two children each, and two families lost three children each.”