President Kiir of South Sudan

Seventeen people were killed when a boat capsized on the river Nile in South Sudan, officials said on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the boat sank on Thursday night in north-eastern Jonglei State, on its way to the state capital Bor, Local Commissioner David Deng Manyok told dpa.

The boat, which was carrying 30 passengers as well as grain, fuel and dried fish, had been overloaded, according to Manyok.

Five of the 13 survivors had to be hospitalised, Manyok added.

State Minister for Transport and Fisheries Moses Chol promised “government will take serious measures in regulating the loading of boats.’’

The Nile is an important transport route for people and goods in the poverty-stricken and war-torn East African nation.