Eleven children died when a small fishing boat sank on the Sao Francisco River in the north- eastern Brazilian state of Bahia, dpa quoted authorities as saying Tuesday. Rescue teams on Tuesday recovered the body of a 10-year-old girl who had been missing since the vessel capsized on Sunday. The dead included 10 children ages 1 to 11, and a 16-year-old. All belonged to an extended family of 18 people who were travelling in a boat meant to carry six, police said. The family was on its way to visit relatives when the fishing vessel tipped over and sank. Six adults and one child managed to swim to shore in the region near Pilao Arcado, about 740 kilometres from Salvador in northern Bahia. Authorities said that strong winds could have contributed to the capsizing of the overloaded boat. Investigators are considering charges against the fisherman who was piloting the boat with his brother, local media reports said. Both mem survivored the accident. "They have experience as fishermen. They knew the risks of carrying so many people," a local police official was quoted as saying. "Such boats are only used by fishermen. You can't really carry a whole family. The chances that this trip would have succeeded were zero."
