YANGON, July 4 (Reuters) - At least 38 people died when their ferry sank in a river in Myanmar's cyclone-hit Irrawaddy delta, official newspapers reported on Friday.

Another 44 passengers were rescued on Tuesday morning when the vessel sank in the Yway River near Myaungmya, one of the delta towns worst hit by Cyclone Nargis in early May.

"The boat sank after water entered the stern as it travelled to Myaungmya from a nearby village on July 1," the state-owned Myanma Alin newspaper said.

Boat accidents are common in the impoverished army-ruled country where several sinkings or collisions involving overloaded vessels occur each year. Many boats in the Irrawaddy delta were destroyed by the cylcone's 120 mph (190 kph) winds and 12 ft (3.5 metre) sea surge. The storm left more than 138,000 people dead or missing. (Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Darren Schuettler)

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