Nation IN BRIEF : ARKANSAS : 7 Die as Crowded Boat Sinks on River

A small boat crowded with a family of nine sank on a river outing in Arkansas, and two adults and five children died, Perry County Sheriff Gary Lawson said. The boat, built to carry just three people, sank on the Fourche LaFave River about 35 miles from Little Rock, Lawson said. The victims included the mother and father and five children ranging in age from 18 months to 10 years. The survivors were two girls, 12 and 14 years old. None of them had life jackets and only the father knew how to swim, Lawson said. The sheriff said two girls who survived told rescuers that the 12-foot, aluminum boat, powered by an outboard motor, began taking on water over its sides before it went down.