Hundreds are feared dead in ferry disaster
The dead included a young woman found cradling her baby’s lifeless body, local police chief Mohammad Shahabuddin Khan said.
“The death toll is likely to rise as more bodies are feared trapped inside,” he said.
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Hide AdAbout 35 people were rescued after the ferry sank early in the morning on the Meghna River, just south of the capital, Dhaka. Divers have recovered 31 bodies from inside the sunken ferry.
Hundreds of anxious people, many of them weeping, gathered near the scene.
The MV Shariatpur-1 was travelling to Dhaka from neighbouring Shariatpur district.
Survivor Dulal Dewan described the chaos as the ferry and cargo boat collided.
“I was awakened with a big jolt,” said the businessman, who had been asleep on the top deck. “I jumped into the river in darkness as the ferry started going down.”