Saudi Arabia offered on Friday its condolence to Iraq over the ferry sinking in Mosul.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz sent a cable of condolences to Iraqi President Barham Salih, expressing the sympathies of the Saudi, people and government over the tragedy.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, sent a similar cable to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
At least 79 people died Thursday when an overloaded ferry carrying families on an outing sank in the Tigris river in Mosul in northern Iraq.
Most of the casualties on the ferry were women and children who could not swim, said the head of Mosul’s Civil Defense Authority Husam Khalil.
He said the ferry had been loaded to several times its capacity. “It can normally carry 50 people. There were 250 on board before the incident,” he said.
Abdul Mahdi ordered an inquiry into the accident and said on Twitter that those responsible would be held accountable.
