Twelve children and teens drown in I.Coast boat capsize: minister

Abidjan: A boat overturned during a church outing for Easter on a lagoon near the city of Abidjan in Ivory Coast, killing 12 children and teenagers, a...

Abidjan: A boat overturned during a church outing for Easter on a lagoon near the city of Abidjan in Ivory Coast, killing 12 children and teenagers, a government minister told AFP Tuesday.

"Twelve bodies have been recovered and are being taken to the morgue," said Sports Minister Adje Silas Metch, who went during the night to the site of the accident late Monday.

The bodies are "of children and adolescents", he added, saying one was a youngster who was not from the church but had joined the boat crossing.

"Four people were rescued," he said.

Young people from the village of Tiaha had gone to another village to take part in the "Galilee" event to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ.