Of the 30 confirmed dead, seven were males and 23 females.

The ferry boat, which was reportedly on its way back from Ngaputaw township after a wedding event, had sunk after the collision.

Authorities launched search and rescue efforts along with the help of local volunteers and managed to rescue 30 passengers – 26 males and four females, according to police officer U Myint Aung from the regional police station.

“The search is still going on in the Nga Wun River. We are not sure when we will stop, it may be until we recover all the bodies,” said U Hlaing Tin, the deputy police officer from the regional police station.

There were two drivers of the ferry boat, and one has been detained by police along with the driver of the barge. Both are being questioned at this moment.

“One driver from the ferry boat was detained but another driver is dead and his body was recovered this morning from the river,” said officer U Myint Aung.

The drivers are being charged under Article 304(A) which is for causing death, Articles 337 and 338 which are for causing injuries, and Article 280 which is for carelessly driving the boats.

– Earlier report by Hla Hla Htay, AFP

The boat, called “Silver Star” in Myanmar, sank on April 7 evening in a river near Pathein, the capital of Ayeyawady Region.

It was believed to be carrying around 60 passengers on their way home from a wedding ceremony, according to a local police officer.

“They were crossing to the other side of the river after attending a wedding in Pathein. Most of them were relatives from the same village,” said the policeman, who requested anonymity.

Both ships were unlit when they collided in the middle of the river, he added.

“We estimate nine people are still missing,” regional MP Aung Thu Htwe told AFP, adding that some 30 people had been rescued alive the night before.

Local media photos showed frenzied scenes as rescuers worked in the dark Friday night to wheel stretchers away from the river and lay bodies onshore.

Authorities resumed the search operation Saturday morning, the police officer said, though no bodies had been found by midday.

“We will do search and rescue for the whole day,” he told AFP.

Fatal boat accidents are common in Myanmar, a poor country with rudimentary transport and weakly-enforced safety regulations.

Vessels ferrying people along the country’s coastline and rivers are often dangerously overcrowded, and accidents can have staggering death tolls. It can also take several days for all bodies to be retrieved.

Last October, 73 people, including many teachers and students, drowned when their overloaded vessel capsized in central Myanmar on the Chindwin River.

Around 60 people also died in March 2015 when their ferry sank in rough waters off of western Rakhine State.