More bodies recovered as ferry toll rises to 112
Source: Agencies |
March 15, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
RESCUE workers found more bodies yesterday inside the salvaged wreckage of a Bangladesh ferry that capsized with about 200 people on board, bringing the death toll to 112.
The ferry collided with a cargo boat and capsized early on Tuesday, sending scores of people into the Meghna River, just south of Dhaka. Local police chief Mohammad Shahabuddin Khan said about 35 survivors were plucked from the water, while local media reported that another 40 managed to swim to shore.
Rescue workers and divers called off the search late yesterday, after raising the wreckage, but police planned to stay in the area.
"There are no more bodies inside the ferry but police will remain deployed to check if there are any more bodies around," Khan said.
The death toll climbed to 112 after villagers and rescuers found more bodies inside the ferry and floating in nearby waters, said rescue official Mahfuzul Haque. Divers had recovered 31 bodies inside the sunken vessel the day before, and efforts to move the ferry had shaken more loose. Rescuers earlier reported that 114 bodies had been recovered, but then revised the figure to 112.
The dead included a young woman found cradling her lifeless baby, Khan said.
Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation that is crisscrossed by more than 230 rivers. They are often blamed on overcrowding, faulty vessels and lax rules. In 2009, about 150 people died in three ferry accidents.
Hundreds of anxious people, many of them weeping, gathered near the scene of the accident to look for their loved ones. Some were angry, saying they blamed local authorities for the slow pace of the rescue operation.
Parul, who goes by one name, said she had been waiting at the shore since Tuesday night for news of her newly married brother, who was returning on the ferry with 16 others from his wedding party. She said only four of the 17 had apparently survived. Two bodies had been recovered, but the bridegroom and others were still missing.
The ferry collided with a cargo boat and capsized early on Tuesday, sending scores of people into the Meghna River, just south of Dhaka. Local police chief Mohammad Shahabuddin Khan said about 35 survivors were plucked from the water, while local media reported that another 40 managed to swim to shore.
Rescue workers and divers called off the search late yesterday, after raising the wreckage, but police planned to stay in the area.
"There are no more bodies inside the ferry but police will remain deployed to check if there are any more bodies around," Khan said.
The death toll climbed to 112 after villagers and rescuers found more bodies inside the ferry and floating in nearby waters, said rescue official Mahfuzul Haque. Divers had recovered 31 bodies inside the sunken vessel the day before, and efforts to move the ferry had shaken more loose. Rescuers earlier reported that 114 bodies had been recovered, but then revised the figure to 112.
The dead included a young woman found cradling her lifeless baby, Khan said.
Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation that is crisscrossed by more than 230 rivers. They are often blamed on overcrowding, faulty vessels and lax rules. In 2009, about 150 people died in three ferry accidents.
Hundreds of anxious people, many of them weeping, gathered near the scene of the accident to look for their loved ones. Some were angry, saying they blamed local authorities for the slow pace of the rescue operation.
Parul, who goes by one name, said she had been waiting at the shore since Tuesday night for news of her newly married brother, who was returning on the ferry with 16 others from his wedding party. She said only four of the 17 had apparently survived. Two bodies had been recovered, but the bridegroom and others were still missing.
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