5 Singaporeans missing after festival boat capsizes in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Five Singaporeans were missing after the boat they used to compete in a traditional Cambodian festival capsized Friday, officials said.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, who is also the chief Cambodian government spokesman, said the boat hit a swirling current in the Tonle Sap river.

He said the boat had just finished the race and was towed to a peer in the river, which flows through the capital, Phnom Penh.

A search for the missing was hampered by darkness, he said.

Mom Sitha, a municipal immigration police officer, said there were 23 Singaporeans on the boat when it capsized and 18 were rescued.

"At the peer, they asked the tow boat to untie the rope to let them go on rowing for leisure. They hit a swirling spot, and the boat capsized," said Chea Sokhom, a member of the festival organizing committee.

He said some of the Singaporeans were not wearing life jackets.

Nearby police boats managed to rescue most of the Singaporeans, he added.

Singapore Embassy officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Singaporean team was among eight teams from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that took part in the event, he said. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.