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17 killed after ferry capsizes
28/02/2008 15:44 - (SA)
Dhaka - A ferry carrying more than 100 people capsized in a river near the Bangladeshi capital on Thursday, killing at least 17 people, authorities said.
Rescuers recovered 17 bodies after the ferry sank in Buriganga River near Dhaka, Sufia Begum, an official at Fire Brigade in Dhaka said.
She said the death toll could rise because many passengers were feared trapped inside the sunken boat.
Private television station NTV put the death toll at 27.
Quoting its reporters at the scene, NTV said 13 women and six children were among the dead.
The ferry, MV Saurav, was travelling from Dhaka to the nearby town of Taltala, she said.
The accident occurred after the ferry collided with a small cargo vessel, said ASM Maniruzzaman, a police officer at the scene.
He said many passengers swam ashore, while some were feared trapped inside the sunken ferry.
Residents joined police and fire brigade divers to search for the missing or those feared trapped inside the sunken boat.
Ferry accidents, blamed on lax rules and unsafe practices, are common in Bangladesh, a tropical nation with more than 250 rivers.
- AP
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