At least 31 people have been confirmed dead in Bangladesh after a ferry carrying about 150 passengers collided with another vessel and sank.
The ferry capsized in the Buriganga River just south of the capital Dhaka and 31 bodies had been recovered so far.
‘The passenger ferry was on its way out of Dhaka when a sand-laden barge hit it from behind, causing it to sink,’ said a police official.
Six children and 13 women were among the dead, with some of the victims being elderly. A team of 20 divers has begun searching for the sunken ferry in the 15-metre deep water.
Army, fire and coast guard personnel have also been deployed as part of a search and rescue operation, while thousands of people, some of them distraught relatives, massed on the river bank.
‘So far we know around 50 to 60 people managed to swim to the shore,’ said a police official, adding that the accident happened in calm weather.
Officials said it was possible some unaccounted for passengers had swum to shore and returned home without reporting to the authorities.
Deadly ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by a network of about 230 rivers that are widely used by millions of people.
