Three children are among the seventeen persons still unaccounted for after the boat they were traveling in crashed in a river in central Malawi on Wednesday.
According to the police, the 22 people were traveling to a burial service in the Mchinji district when they crossed the Rusa River.
Five people were able to swim to land.
According to John Nkhoma, the local police chief, the boat was too tiny to accommodate that many passengers.
On Thursday, additional rescuers are anticipated to begin a search expedition for the missing people.
Authorities in the area are currently encouraging locals to stay away from sailing in flooded rivers.
Following a terrible tropical cyclone last month that claimed 511 lives and left 533 more unaccounted for, Malawi is now on the mend.