Five people died while 12 others went missing when a boat sank in Malawi's central district of Mchinji on Wednesday night.
"The accident happened at midnight on Wednesday when a group of people was going to a funeral in the nearby village and their boat sank," Fred Movete, Mchinji district commissioner, told Anadolu.
Movete said the boat with 22 people and their belongings on board sank due to overloading, adding the boat had the capacity to accommodate 10 people.
He said five people were rescued and a search for the missing people, including three children, is underway.
A survivor, Chrissy Govati, told Anadolu over the telephone the boat sank in the middle of the river.
"Other passengers drowned but I tried hard to stay afloat. Dead tired, when I gave up hope from nowhere a well-wisher held my hand and pulled me out of the water," Govati said.
