Hundreds missing as Bangladesh ferry sinks
Print Edition
A heavily-laden ferry capsized and sank in central Bangladesh yesterday after being caught in a storm, leaving at least 12 people dead and hundreds more missing, police and officials said.
Survivors of what is the latest in a string of ferry disasters to blight Bangladesh said the vessel began to sway when the storm hit, finally tipping over and sinking in minutes, giving passengers little time to leap to safety.
The exact number of passengers was not immediately known. It is common for ferries to carry many more than their official limit.
“We are receiving confusing figures on how many passengers were on board when it sank, but the number could range from 200 to 350,” district government administrator Saiful Hasan said.
“The toll now stands at 12,” he said of the accident on the river Meghna in Munshiganj district, some 50 kilometers south of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.
Local police chief Ferdous Ahmed confirmed the recovery of bodies, which included two women and one child.
The double-decker vessel was travelling to the southern district of Shariatpur from Dhaka when it encountered problems and sank in mid-afternoon, according to the police.
“Around 20-30 people managed to swim to safety when the boat went down,” Ahmed said.
Officials said that a salvage vessel had reached the spot and fire service divers had located the sunken ferry and were attempting to retrieve bodies as darkness fell.
“I fear there are many more bodies trapped inside,” fire service officer Nurul Alam said.
The width of the river, the depth of the water and the strong currents were hampering rescue efforts.
Hundreds of distraught relatives gathered on the banks of the river as the bodies were laid in lines in order to be identified.
Local online newspaper Banglanews24.com quoted survivor Abdur Razzaq as saying that the boat was hit by the storm suddenly and sank in a matter of minutes.
A diver taking part in the rescue effort was quoted by the Bangladesh Star as saying “many bodies” were still trapped inside the vessel.
Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, one of Asia’s poorest nations which is criss-crossed with 230 rivers. Experts blame poor maintenance, design flaws and overcrowding for most of the tragedies.
Storms known locally as Kalboishakhi often hit Bangladesh during early summer.
Some 150 people were killed in the same district in March 2012 after a ferry carrying about 200 passengers sank after being hit by an oil barge at night.
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