TEHRAN: Seventeen people died when an Iranian passenger boat capsized in heavy winds after running out of fuel in the Strait of Hormuz, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.
The boat set sail Saturday evening from Hormuz Island, the most northern piece of land at the entrance of the Gulf, to the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, said IRNA.
The vessel ran out of fuel during the 10-kilometre (six-mile) journey and was caught in a heavy storm, which also hampered rescue efforts, state television reported.
It then capsized and its 22 passengers, captain and crew members were trapped underneath, IRNA said. Rescue teams saved five people, a provincial sailing official, Hossein Khoshbakht, told the agency.