A commuter boat carrying more than 100 passengers has flipped and sunk in north-east Brazil, killing at least 18 people and leaving dozens missing in rough ocean waters.
It was the second fatal accident involving passenger boats this week in the South American nation.
Navy Lt Col Flavio Almeida said the vessel went down in the morning while traversing the Bay of All Saints, off the coast of the city of Salvador.
Twenty-one people were rescued by naval teams, and private boats also motored in and helped an unknown number of survivors.
“Some passengers were able to swim to shore. Others were picked up,” Lt Col Almeida said.
“An investigation into what happened will be launched, but at this point we are still in the middle of the rescue.”
Authorities reported earlier that 22 people had died but later lowered the toll to 18.
Globo News showed rescuers pulling people from the bay and anxious family members waiting for news in the Salvador terminal where the boat was expected.
In a statement, the Bahia state health department said 34 people were being treated for injuries.
An unconscious one-year-old who initially responded to resuscitation efforts died in an ambulance en route to hospital, it added.
Survivor Edvaldo Santos de Almeida told the G1 news portal that a large wave tipped the boat during a heavy rainstorm.
“There were a lot of people” on board, he said. “It took a long time to be rescued. We were in the water for two hours.”
The accident took place two days after a passenger boat sank on the Xingu River in the northern state of Para, leaving at least 21 dead.
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