A ferry carrying at least 27 passengers capsized in the Tayba Al-Khawad area of the Nile River in Sudan on Wednesday.
The ferry sank in the Shendi district in the northern Nile River province, according to Sudan Doctors Network, a medical group working in the country.
"The Network affirms that this painful humanitarian tragedy once again reveals the fragility of river transport and the absence of basic safety requirements, in addition to the complete absence of local authorities and civil defense rescue teams in the early hours of the incident, which exacerbated the scale of the disaster," the organization said in a statement.
Six survivors recovered, while rescue teams search for at least six others
The remains of at least 15 victims have been recovered so far, the group said. Six survivors were rescued, while residents and rescue teams continue to search for at least six others.
Women and children were also on board the ferry.
The medical group urged authorities to deploy rescue teams and equipment to accelerate search efforts, "and to take immediate measures to ensure river transport safety and prevent the recurrence of such disasters that claim innocent lives."