Up to 40 people were swept away and drowned as they tried to cross a swollen river in the far north of Iraq today, families of the victims said.
Dozens of people were packed onto a flat barge boat, trying to cross a tributary of the Tigris river, when a rush of water swept down the river and overturned the barge, witnesses said.
The accident occurred near the town of Zakhu, on Iraq's border with Turkey, about 300 miles north of Baghdad.
Witnesses said five bodies had already been recovered and a search was on for the remaining victims. Four people travelling on the overcrowded barge were saved, they said.
Families said the victims were mostly migrant workers from the town of Sinjar, in northwestern Iraq, who were travelling north to look for work. They said the river crossing point was commonly used but was often overcrowded since no bridges span the river in that area.