Baghdad — 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 45 people, an official said.

Col. Hussam Khalil, head of the Civil Defense in the northern 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. He said the ferry sank because of a technical problem, and that there weren't many boats in the area to rescue people.

"We have pulled out 45 bodies and the number could rise," Khalil said. He added that more than 80 people were on the ferry when the accident occurred.

Another Civil Defense official said 12 people were rescued. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.