According to the head of the Port Captaincy, Jonathan Novoa, the boat, identified as CR, left the port of Pucallpa at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday local time bound for the city of Atalaya, but suffered an accident around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, possibly colliding with an object submerged by a rise in the river, state agency Andina reported.

Some 48 people, including several teachers and minors, were on board the vessel, which had a capacity for 68 passengers and had met all safety requirements, such as having life jackets, according to authorities.

The tragedy came on the heels of another similar incident Sunday, when a boat sank in northern Peru’s Loreto region, killing at least four people, including a minor.

MNA/PR