QUITO, Dec 26 — Three people, including two young children, died in central Ecuador on Sunday when a tourist boat capsized, local authorities reported.

Authorities said they were investigating what caused the capsizing of the boat on the Colta Lagoon, in the Andean province of Chimborazo around 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Quito.

Among the deceased were "a five-month-old newborn, a three-year-old minor and a 53-year-old woman,” said the ECU-911, the South American country’s integrated security service, in a statement.

Officials added that "about 40 other passengers were rescued from the lagoon” on Sunday.

In 2013, five people were killed on the same lake in an accident involving a boat found to be carrying too many passengers. — AFP