Bangladesh : 7 killed, hundreds missing in Bangla ferry capsize

At least seven bodies have been recovered after a ferry carrying hundreds of passengers sank Thursday in the middle of a river in a storm in Bangladesh.

The ferry, carrying on board about 250 to 300 passengers, capsized in Meghna river in Munshiganj district after it was hit by a nor’wester (known as a type of storm in Bangladesh), Ferdous Hossain, officer-in-charge of Gajaria Police Station in Munsihganj district told Xinhua over phone.

He said a search operation is under way, and a rescue vessel has been called in to boost local efforts to salvage the ferry.

Hossain said many passengers were able to swim ashore after the accident as of 3:00 p.m. local time, but could not tell immediately about the exact number of the missing passengers.

The ferry services in Bangladesh never maintain list of passenger and no one is able to tell exactly how many passengers a ferry carries.

Ferry and boat disasters are common in Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by about 250 rivers. Ferry is still a key means of transport in the country. Most of them are often overcrowded.

At least 112 bodies were recovered after a ferry capsized in Bangladesh’s central Munshiganj district in March 2012.

Agencies/Canadajournal