At least three children were killed when a ferry carrying a number of residents sank in the Euphrates River in eastern Syria after midnight Saturday into Sunday, according to the Syrian Civil Defense, which said it was continuing search operations for survivors.

The Civil Defense announced in a statement that a ferry carrying civilians in the city of Deir ez-Zor suffered a malfunction and was swept away by the current, causing it to collide with a bridge, with an initial toll of three children dead.

Primitive ferry

An earlier Civil Defense toll reported two children dead, before Sunday when residents found the body of a girl in the river near a village about 20 kilometers from the accident site.

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It added that 15 people were rescued, while search efforts for missing persons continue. The Deir ez-Zor governorate said in a statement that the "primitive" ferry, carrying women, men, and children, sank after running out of fuel, being swept away by the current, and colliding with the military bridge in Deir ez-Zor.