YANGON: Ten people were killed and six injured after a ferry capsized in Myanmar, state media reported Thursday.

The accident occurred on a ferry running from the port city of Pathein, 130 kilometres  west of Yangon, to villages along a river in the flood-prone Irrawaddy Delta region, the New Light of Myanmar said.

The vessel capsized as it was trying to dock at a village jetty Tuesday afternoon, killing 10 passengers, it said.Seventy-two passengers and three crew were rescued. Six passengers were taken to hospital for treatment.

The Irrawaddy Delta was the area that suffered worst when Cyclone Nargis hit southern Myanmar in May 2008. The catastrophic storm killed around 138,000 people and left thousands more homeless.

Most people living in the low-lying region, one of the least developed parts of the impoverished country, rely heavily on poorly maintained river ferries for transportation around its flooded plains.