At least 10 school children travelling on a boat in the Nam Ngum river in Laos are feared to have drowned after the overcrowded ferry capsized on Tuesday, local media have reported.
The ferry accident occurred in Laos' Pak-Ngum district on Tuesday morning, when about 35 elementary school students and four teachers were travelling in a ferry on the major Mekong tributary, about 60km from the country's capital, Vientiane.
The students were reportedly using the ferry to travel to take their examinations, Xinhua reported citing local media. All the students were fifth-graders.
The ferry was reportedly overcrowded, given that it had capacity only for 15 passengers. None of the students were wearing life jackets, according to reports.
The incident gives a chilling reminder of the Sewol ferry tragedy last year in which nearly 300 school students lost their lives.
