A ferry overloaded with people celebrating the Kurdish new year sank in the Tigris river near the Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday, killing at least 40 people, an official said.

Col. Hussam Khalil, head of the Civil Defense in the Nineveh province, told The Associated Press the accident occurred as scores of people were out in the tourist area celebrating Nowruz, which marks the Kurdish new year and the arrival of spring.

Khalil said many of the dead were women and children, adding that search operations are still underway.

Iraqi forces drove the Islamic State group from Mosul in 2017 after a devastating campaign that left entire neighborhoods in ruins.