Death toll from Amazon boat accident rises to 45

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian rescuers have found the bodies of 11 more passengers who were on a boat that sank in a river in the Amazon, bringing the death toll from the accident to 45, Globo news agency reported Wednesday.

The boat sank four days ago on the Solimoes River near the town of Manacapuru amid heavy rain and strong waves. The passengers were returning from a party in the interior of Amazonas state.

Seventy people were rescued alive and the authorities initially did not expect the death toll to be much higher than the 17 bodies recovered on Sunday and Monday.

The Brazilian Navy estimated the boat had been carrying abound 110 people, but there was no list of passengers on the boat, which did not meet regulations and was operating illegally as is often the case in remote parts of Brazil.

The search for bodies is continuing. (Reporting by Andrei Khalip)