At least 93 killed in ferry sinking in Iraq's Mosul
BAGHDAD (Xinhua) – A ferryboat sank in Tigris River in Iraq's northern city of Mosul on Thursday, leaving at least 93 dead and sparking anger among Iraqis.
The incident took place in the afternoon when a ferryboat carrying dozens of people capsized because of high water levels while crossing from the bank of the river to a small tourist island called Um al Rabeein in northern Mosul, some 400 km north of the capital Baghdad.
According to a civil defense source, the ferryboat owned by a tourism office was overloaded with more than 100 people, while the ferryboat is originally designed to carry some 30 people.
An Interior Ministry source said some 93 people, mostly women and children, drowned in the river and their bodies were recovered, while 55 others were rescued, including 19 children.
"We have 93 people killed in the ferry sinking in Mosul, and the search operations continued for more possible victims," Saad Maan, a ministry spokesman, said in a press release.
No accurate figures are available
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States (US) imposed sanctions on Thursday on two Chinese shipping companies it says helped North Korea evade sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, the first such steps since a US-North Korean summit collapsed last month.
The US Treasury Department also issued an updated advisory that listed 67 vessels that it said had engaged in illicit transfers of refined petroleum with North Korean tankers or were believed to have exported North Korean coal.
The department identified the newly sanctioned firms as Dalian Haibo International Freight Co. Ltd. and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co. Ltd., which it said had helped North Korea evade US and international sanctions.
Reuters was unable to locate contact details for either company to seek comment.
The move prohibits US dealings with the designated companies and yet about the number of people the ferry was carrying when the accident happened.
The search operation is expected to continue in the coming days.
"Investigation is underway, and apparently the capacity of the ferry was below the number of passengers aboard," Maan said earlier.
Meanwhile, a statement by the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, said Mosul investigation court has decided to arrest nine workers responsible for the ferry.
"The court also issued an arrest warrant for the owner of the ferry and the owner of the island," the statement added.
Hours after the incident, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi paid a surprise visit to Mosul, capital of Nineveh Province, and held a meeting with Nineveh's Operations Command, which is responsible for the security of Nineveh.
A statement by the prime minister's media office said Abdul Mahdi declared "official mourning in all parts of Iraq and in the embassies and (diplomatic) representations of Iraq abroad for three days from Thursday." freezes any assets they have in the United States.
Washington announced the measures three weeks after a second meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke down over conflicting demands by North Korea for relief from sanctions and from the US side for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.
The United States has led international efforts to press North Korea through sanctions to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
“The United States and our like-minded partners remain committed to achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea and believe that the full implementation of North Korea-related UN Security Council resolutions is crucial to a successful outcome,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
“Treasury will continue to enforce our sanctions, and we are
"We condole the families of the victims of the ferry on behalf of all Iraqis, and we are here a few hours after the ferry incident to follow up the investigation," Abdul Mahdi said in Mosul.
During his trip to Mosul, Abdul Mahdi visited a site of the incident on the Tigris River and a hospital where many of the survivors were receiving treatment.
"Justice must take its course through an investigation by a committee formed for this purpose to identify the causes of the sinking of the ferry and those defaulters must be punished according to the law," Abdul Mahdi told reporters during his visit to the hospital.
For his part, Iraqi President Barham Salih condoled Iraqis on the incident, saying he is in contact with the federal government, Nineveh's provincial government and the regional government of Kurdistan "to mobilize efforts to treat the wounded and search for the missing people," according to a statement issued by his office.
Salih confirmed that the "tragedy will not pass without serious accountability" for those responsible for the incident, the statement said. making it explicitly clear that shipping companies employing deceptive tactics to mask illicit trade with North Korea expose themselves to great risk,” he added.
The latest sanctions showed there was some “leakage” in North Korea sanctions enforcement by China, but Beijing was mostly abiding by UN resolutions, a senior US official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official said that financial as well as shipping companies risked US action if they were found to be in violation of sanctions.
The official insisted, however, that Thursday’s announcement was meant to maintain sanctions enforcement on North Korea rather than intensify the pressure.
While declining to say whether Washington was trying to send a post-summit message to Pyongyang, the official said Trump “has made clear that the door is wide open to continuing the dialogue with North Korea.”