Mosul, national mourning for ferry disaster. Nearly 100 dead

Prime Minister Mahdi visited the wounded in the hospital and paid tribute to the victims. The ferry was packed with tourists celebrating the Kurdish New Year. Over 200 people on board, well beyond the vessel capacity. At least 19 children and 61 women died. Local sources denounce an attempt by security forces to block journalists' reports.

Mosul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Iraqi Prime Minister has decreed three days of national mourning, after visiting the place where a ferry across the Tigris  sunk yesterday afternoon, near Mosul, killing nearly 100 people. According to state television, Adel Abdel Mahdi visited the injured in a hospital in the former  "Caliphate" stronghold and the morgue where the bodies of the victims are held.

The ship, used for transporting people, was packed with families and tourists who celebrated the Nowrūz (Kurdish New Year).. First reports say there were around 200 people on board, more than the boat could contain.

The ship was heading towards the island of Umm Rabaen, a tourist resort about 4 km north of the center of the city of Mosul, one of the many stops planned for the trip organized in conjunction with the new year. According to some videos, the ferry suddenly tilted to the right, taking on water, to then capsize and be dragged downstream of the river.

The Civil Protection adds that the vast majority of tourists were unable to swim and the ship was devoid of any means of rescue . Among the victims - 94 those ascertained so far - there are at least 19 children and 61 women. The rescue men saved 55 others, snatching them from the rushing waters of the river.

Some images broadcast on social media show the boat upside down and people being dragged by the current. "There were too many people on board," says one of the surviving passengers. "The water started to come on board, the ferry weighed down and overturned. I saw with my own eyes children who died in water ".

A few hours after the tragedy there is a trading of accusations and responsibilities. Local authorities report having warned people of the danger, due to the increasing level of water from the opening of the doors of the Mosul dam. Others point the finger at tour operators who purposely ignored the danger.

The Ministry of Justice has ordered the arrest of nine employees of the ferry company and have imposed a ban on expatriation of the owners of the boat and the tourist site. Local sources speaking to Mosul Eye, a blog that denounced jihadist violence during the rule of the Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis), also denounce an attempt by security forces to hide the tragedy by trying to arrest journalists and prevent them from interviewing the families of the victims.