ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A boat accident in central Ethiopia's Oromia regional state has left five passengers missing, an Ethiopian official said on Sunday.
Fouad Khalifa, Chief Communications Officer of Omoneda locality in Jimma zone of Oromia regional state, said the accident happened on Saturday evening when a boat with 18 people on board transporting passengers on a local river capsized, reported state-affiliated media outlet Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC).
Khalifa said a joint effort by local people and lifeguards managed to rescue 13 of the passengers, but five more passengers are still missing.
He further said the captain of the boat has been arrested pending completion of an investigation into the possible causes of the boat accident.
In January, at least 12 people were killed after a boat capsized in Ethiopia's largest lake Tana, located in Ethiopia's northern Amhara regional state. Police blamed overloading for the tragedy.
