200 missing as ferry sinks
18/05/2005 13:11  - (SA)  

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Manikganj - Rescuers searched on Wednesday for dozens of people reported missing after a ferry carrying about 250 people capsised during a storm in central Bangladesh, killing at least two people, said police and rescue officials.

Strong currents and gusty winds hit the double-deck ferry ML Raipura on Tuesday as it neared a terminal on the Padma River in central Manikganj district, 40km northwest of the capital, Dhaka.

Razzak Ali, whose three-year-old son, Rashed, was found dead in the river on Tuesday said: "When the storm started, we asked the crew to steer to shore. But it was too late."

Police officer Abu Bakr Siddiqui said the body of a man was found floating in the river on Wednesday, bringing the known death toll to two.

'Among 16 people, four survived'

He said at least 50 people were able to swim to shore, but efforts to search the river and shoals for about 200 others reported missing had been disrupted by strong currents.

Among the survivors was Mubarrak Mollah, a 45-year-old man traveling to the farming district of Manikganj to work in a rice farm.

Mollah, standing on the sandy bank of Padma River said: "There were 16 people in my group ... all from one village. Only four of us survived." Among the missing was his 20-year-old son.

The ferry, packed mostly with farmworkers, was on its way to the Aricha terminal from neighbouring Pabna district when it capsised in the stormy weather.

'People trapped inside can't escape'

The boat had been located in waters about 9m deep.

Abdur Razzak, one of the dozens of divers involved in rescue work, said its windows had been closed by passengers because of the rain and high winds, making it almost impossible for people trapped inside to escape.

State-run Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority said a salvage ship, Rustom, was expected to reach the scene later on Wednesday.

Another ferry carrying a wedding party sank on Sunday in strong winds and high waves at the mouth of the Bura Gauranga River in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 76 people.

The bride and groom were among the 26 people still missing in Patuakhali district, 150km south of Dhaka.

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