River ferry sinks, 200 missing

2004-05-23 08:52

Dhaka, Bangladesh - A river ferry carrying about 250 passengers capsized early Sunday during a tropical storm in eastern Bangladesh and many were feared dead, police said.

Many of the passengers were asleep when the accident occurred and were believed to be trapped inside the double-deck ferry, said Mohammad Dulal Miah, a police officer at the scene.

Police said eight bodies had been recovered. Some injured passengers were rescued from inside the vessel and about 50 others were able to swim ashore, police said.

"Even though the ferry sank close to shore, the river is turbulent here and it is hampering the rescue work," Miah said.

The ferry, which was travelling to the capital, Dhaka, from the southwestern Madaripur district, sank in the Meghna river near the town of Chandpur, about 65km east of Dhaka.

Ferry accidents are common in this South Asian nation crisscrossed by rivers.

A ferry capsized in Chandpur during a storm in July last year, killing more than 500 people.

- AP