Bangladesh ferry with 100 passengers sinks; at least 31 dead

Feb 22, – A river ferry carrying about 100 passengers capsized and sank in central Bangladesh on Sunday and a rescue operation was underway, an official said.

The ferry was reportedly hit by a cargo vessel at the Daulatdia-Paturia crossing on the Padma River Sunday afternoon, said fire department official Shahzadi Begum.

Rescue teams were deployed and passing boats were helping in the operation, he said. The ferry was submerged at a depth of up to 20 feet, said Inspector Zihad Mia, who is overseeing the rescue operation.

“Our divers have recovered six bodies from the sunken ferry, while another body of a child was retrieved earlier by local people,” Mia said by phone from the scene.

“We have not recovered any dead body, and we don’t have a clear picture about how many were exactly in the ferry when it sank,” he said.

“But I think many have survived.” He said divers would soon be deployed to determine the exact position of the ferry. The Padma is one of the largest rivers in the delta nation, which is crisscrossed by more than 130 rivers.

Overcrowding and poor safety standards are often blamed for ferry disasters in the impoverished South Asian nation.

Press journalist for HRO media – Dawar Shah report.

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