16 weeks 6 days 8 hours ago At least 11 dead after Haitian ferry sinks

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - An overloaded ferry capsized off
the coast of southern Haiti, killing at least 11 people, U.N. and
Haitian authorities said Sunday.

U.N. peacekeeping mission spokesman David Wimhurst said most of
the 100 people aboard the vessel were able to swim to safety. The
boat sank after taking on water about 150 yards (150 meters) from
shore late Saturday.

Crews recovered 11 bodies from the water according to Wimhurst
and Mayor Evil Lavilette of Pestel, the ferry's departure point. At
least five were children.

The boat was on a slow, two-day journey along the top of Haiti's
southern peninsula, transporting passengers, food and charcoal to
the capital, Port-au-Prince. It made several stops to take on
passengers and cargo and was "overcrowded," according to
Wimhurst.

Lavilette said a passenger called him in distress as the boat
foundered, but emergency crews were not able to reach the ferry
quickly because the closest rescue boat was out of gas.

U.N. peacekeepers and Haitian police arrived later to help
survivors on the western outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Wimhurst
said.

Bad roads and a lack of infrastructure force many on the
coastline in impoverished Haiti to depend on rickety ferries.

Some 500 to 700 people were killed in 1993 when an overcrowded
ferry traveling a