At least 40 people are confirmed dead and many more missing
after a ferry carrying nearly 150 passengers capsized in
Bangladesh.
"Till now we have recovered 40 bodies from inside the ferry," said
Mohammad Jahangir Alam, the officer in charge of Nikli police
station in Kishoreganj district, northeast of the capital,
Dhaka.
Jahangir said the ferry was caught in a storm on Monday and capsized in the Ghorautura river, nearly 180kms from Dhaka.
He said that of nearly 150 passengers aboard, only about 25 managed to swim ashore.
Ferry accidents occur frequently in riverine Bangladesh and hundreds of people die every year.
Poor enforcement of safety laws means boats are often poorly serviced and generally packed well beyond capacity.
