An overcrowded ferry overturned after being struck by a large wave in the Maldives, killing at least 18 people and leaving 50 missing, officials said yesterday.

　　So far, 99 people have been rescued and search teams are looking for more survivors.

　　The ferry was carrying far more than capacity when it capsized late on Wednesday, said Captain Ibrahim Afzal, of the Maldives National Coast Guard. He said the number of passengers was still not known.

　　"The sea was very calm but a passing fishing boat caused waves that swung our vessel from side to side and then the ferry rolled over," a survivor, 29-year-old Mohamed Yooshau, told The Associated Press.

　　"People were thrown into the sea. Some were trapped. Everyone was screaming," he said, adding that he jumped overboard just before the vessel capsized.

　　The captain said the steering column broke as he was navigating the ship through rough waters, a government Website said.

　　Hospital officials said 11 women, one man and five children had been found. Afzal said divers later recovered the body of another man, bringing the toll to 18.

　　The passengers were mostly spectators traveling back to Thinadhoo, an island 320 kilometers south of the capital Male, after watching their home team play in a football tournament on a neighboring island.

　　They were one hour from their destination when the ferry capsized in deep sea.

　　Afzal said that among those killed was a 17-year-old football player and an 18-year-old movie actress, whose mother, sister and sister-in-law also died.

　　(The Associated Press)