SAO PAULO Brazilian authorities said at least 90 people were rescued after a river boat caught fire on an Amazon river tributary on Saturday, but it was unclear how many were missing due to the lack of a passenger list. Police in the Amazonian capital of Manaus said 74 passengers on board the Almirante Moreira, which caught fire at about 9 a.m.

local time (1300 GMT) were taken to the local hospital, while 16 left after the accident without injuries. Our rescue team at the site has not reported any deaths, said Capt. Helcio Motta in Manaus. But Brazilian media reported at least three people were feared dead and that local police were continuing their search under the assumption that between 30 and 70 people could be missing.

Many were feared swept away in the swift current of the river, a major tributary that flows northeast into the Amazon, and travels at about 12 mph (20 km) in the area where the boat exploded. (Reuter)