29 dead, 40 missing in Bangladesh ferry capsizal

At least 29 bodies were recovered and an estimated 40 others are still missing after a ferry sank on Sunday afternoon in the middle of a river in Bangladesh's northwestern Manikganj district, 40 km northwest of Dhaka.

Rashida Ferdaus, the district's administration chief, told Xinhua that "29 bodies including one child have so far been recovered."

She could not tell about the exact number of the missing passengers.

"An estimated 40 people are feared missing even after the recovery of 29 bodies," Ferdous said, adding the ferry was carrying about 150 passengers.

The ferry capsized in Padma, one of the three rivers that form the Ganges Delta, at around 12:00 p.m. local time Sunday after it was hit by a goods laden cargo tanker.

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

Many passengers were able to swim ashore after the ferry capsized in high winds on the Padma's Doulatdia-Paturia river route, said the official.

Many sunken ferry victims are believed to be trapped below deck.

Ferdous said rescuers will continue searching until all the bodies of the victims are recovered.

Hundreds of relatives and friends of the ill-fated passengers have gathered at the accident site.

The ferry services in Bangladesh never maintain lists of passengers 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 seven bodies were recovered after a ferry sank last week at the confluence of a river after it struck a submerged island in southern Barguna district, some 300 km away of capital Dhaka. Endi