Ferry disaster: 7 bodies found

2004-05-23 14:18

Dhaka - Seven people were killed and 27 reported missing Sunday after four ferries capsized during pre-monsoon storms in southern Bangladesh, officials said, downgrading earlier estimates of the numbers believed missing.

The four boats capsized early on Sunday in separate accidents in the Meghna river in Chandpur district, around 40km south of the capital Dhaka.

"Seven bodies that were spotted in the water earlier have been brought to the shore and relatives are trying to identify them," said Rahul Amin, an official of the Ferry Owners' Association in Chandpur district.

River police had arrived in the area but a search and rescue operation was being hampered by rough river conditions, he added.

Initial reports put the number of missing at at least 200 but most had swum to safety and were now accounted for, a river police spokesperson at Chandpur said.

"Except for the 27 people most others have been accounted for as our rescue operation continues but rough water and rains are making work difficult," he said.

Two of the capsized boats were named as the Lightning Sun, a ferry carrying around 250 people, and the MV Diganta, a small ferry with about 30 people aboard, Amin and the police spokesperson said.

The 27 missing were all from the MV Diganta, Amin said, adding that it was still hoped some of the missing would be found safe.

At least six cargo vessels also capsized in the same stretch of river during the three-hour storm early on Sunday, although no casualties were reported in those accidents, he said.

Since 1977, more than 260 ferry accidents have claimed at least 3,000 lives in Bangladesh.

Overloading and dangerous conditions during monsoon and pre-monsoon storms cause frequent accidents resulting in hundreds of deaths each year.

The government last year imposed tough bans on overcrowding in an attempt to reduce the number of lives being lost.

In the last major accident, two ferries collided on a fog-covered river in February in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens in the southern Barisal district.

Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by more than 230 rivers. Some 3 000 ferries ply the rivers daily providing transport for more than 100 000 people.

- SAPA