14 dead, 26 missing as boat sinks off northern Brazil

An unlicensed passenger boat sank Thursday along Brazil's northern coast near Belem, killing at least 14 people with another 26 still unaccounted for, officials said.

The company that operated the boat did not have the appropriate authorization, officials for the northern state of Para said in a statement, adding that 70 people in all were on the vessel -- 30 of them rescued alive.

Local media carried images of rescuers using a canoe to bring victims to shore, and bodies laid out on the beach with sheets draped over them.

"The vessel was not authorized for inter-city passenger transport... and made the journey departing from a clandestine port in the area of Camara," a settlement across the Marajo Bay from Belem, the state capital, officials said in a statement.

A police helicopter and 11 rescue boats, two of them carrying specialized divers, were aiding the search effort, it said.

"Police have opened an investigation... and will take all appropriate measures to bring those responsible to justice," it said.