Ferry accident: 100 feared dead

2005-05-16 07:58

Dhaka - Bangladesh authorities said on Monday they feared at least 100 people had drowned after a ferry capsized in a remote area of the country's south.

Six people were confirmed dead on Sunday but it is feared many more bodies were washed away in stormy weather or are trapped in the upturned vessel.

The ferry, carrying villagers to a local weekly market, had a capacity of 80 but is likely to have had at least double that number on board.

"Up to Monday morning, we have recovered six dead bodies, but the rest are feared drowned," local administrator Mesbah Uddin told AFP by mobile phone from the scene.

The ferry went down on Sunday morning in high winds and strong currents on the Char Kazal river near Badnatoli, about 250 kilometres south of Dhaka.

Uddin said divers had arrived at the scene, which is close to the mouth of the Bay of Bengal, late on Sunday and that a salvage vessel was due to reach the area by mid-morning on Monday.

Among the dead were two men who swam to the shore but died soon after. Uddin said it was unlikely that any other passengers had managed to save themselves.

Ferry accidents in Bangladesh claim many lives each year. In February, 150 people were killed when a ferry capsized in a cyclone near Dhaka.

The delta nation is criss-crossed by a network of more than 230 rivers and about 3 000 ferries provide daily transport for more than 100 000 people.

- AFP