14 missing after boat sinks on Ethiopia lake

Fourteen people are missing after a boat capsized on a lake in southern Ethiopia, local officials said Friday.

The vessel, which was loaded with bananas, sank on Thursday in Lake Chamo, south of the capital Addis Ababa, the communications office for the Gamo zone said

Rescuers recovered two survivors who managed to remain afloat by holding on to jerrycans, the officials said, adding that a search was underway for the other passengers.

Fifteen workers whose job was to unload the bananas and an operator were aboard the craft, local police commander Reta Tekla said.

It was not immediately clear why it sank.

Lake Chamo in the Great Rift Valley, which has a maximum depth of 14 metres, is home to crocodiles and hippopotamuses.