At least 10 people were missing after a boat carrying members of Brazil's ruling PSDB party, including Congress deputies, and journalists capsized on Saturday in northern Amapa state, authorities said.
The boat collided with a ferry on the Jari river as the politicians, local mayors and a group of reporters, were heading to a political rally to Laranjal do Jari, a small town in a remote region about 2,000 miles (3,220 kms) north of Sao Paulo.
State government quoted witnesses as saying 10 people were missing, but the state river service could not confirm the number of missing or say whether there were any fatalities.
However, some local media outlets carried unconfirmed reports that five or more bodies had been found.
"The accident happened between passenger ship Cidade de Obidos I and ferry Goncalves II," Port Captaincy duty officer Waldacir Dantas said by telephone, adding that the passenger boat had been carrying 108 passengers and had capacity for 150.
Amapa state radio quoted a witness -- local politician Iracu Colares as saying by satellite phone that between eight and 10 people were missing and that the boat had in fact carried as many as 200 passengers.
According to the local radio, one of the journalists and an unidentified boy were among the missing.
(China Daily January 27, 2002)
