Naypyidaw , Myanmar ( CNN ) Twenty-one people are dead and 21 missing after a ferry capsized in the Southeast Asia nation of Myanmar . Myanmar 's Ministry of Information said in a statement that the ship capsized Friday night as it sailed , in bad weather conditions , around the city of Sittwe . That 's when a large wave crashed into the ferry , causing it capsize near Myaybone and Myaukkyine islands . Authorities have managed to rescue at least 167 people , according to the information ministry for Myanmar , which is also known as Burma . Pictures from the government showed rescue workers helping people off a boat onto the land . Sittwe is the capital of Rakhine state and sits on the Bay of Bengal , about 55 miles ( 90 kilometers ) from the Bangladesh border . This weekend 's weather forecast for the city calls for some clouds giving way to clear skies , with high daytime temperatures expected to be in the 30s Celsius ( 80s to 90s Fahrenheit ) . Fatal ferry disasters are nothing new to the region . Last month , at least 68 people died when a packed double-decker ferry sank while on the Padma River north of neighboring Bangladesh 's capital , Dhaka , officials said . A cargo vessel hit the ferry , causing it to overturn and trapping passengers on its lower deck . Forty-five people died in an accident on the same river in August . In May 2013 , several boats carrying as many as 150 people were thought to have capsized near Myanmar 's western coast ahead of a storm approaching the area . Those boats were carrying Rohingya , members of Myanmar 's long-suffering Muslim minority , Thailand-based U.N. official Kirsten Mildren said at the time . Journalist Manny Muang reported from Myanmar , and CNN 's Greg Botelho wrote this story from Atlanta .
Twenty-one people have been rescued , Myanmar 's government says . The ferry capsized after being hit by a large wave in bad weather conditions .