22 students drown on way to school as boat sinks in Nile in Sudan

The boat was carrying around 40 children. A female hospital employee also drowned in the mishap.

At least 22 students drowned on Wednesday when a boat carrying more than 40 children sank while crossing the Nile in northern Sudan, state news agency SUNA said. The children were on their way to school.

Civil defence forces were searching the waters for the missing passengers but had not recovered the bodies. (Reuters/Picture for representation)

Civil defence forces were searching the waters for the missing passengers but had not recovered the bodies, the agency added. A female hospital employee also drowned.

The vessel went down around 750 kilometres (470 miles) north of the capital Khartoum. SUNA says the boat sank because of a technical failure.