More than 70 people dead as ferry sinks in north Iraq

Smaller boats have been rescuing people stranded on the island after the ferry capsized. [AFP]

A ferry packed with families celebrating Kurdish New Year sank in a swollen river in the former jihadist stronghold of Mosul Thursday, leaving more than 70 people dead in Iraq's worst accident in years.

There was an outpouring of grief among residents who only recently resumed festivities on the banks of the Tigris after the northern city's recapture from the Islamic State group.