Up to 200 feared dead in Bangladesh ferry accident
A river ferry carrying about 250 passengers capsized early today during a tropical storm in south-eastern Bangladesh and most of those aboard were feared dead, police said.
Many of the passengers on the capsized double-deck ferry were asleep when the accident occurred and were believed to have been trapped inside, said Mohammad Dulal Miah, a police officer at the scene.
About 50 people were able to swim ashore.
Ten bodies – four of them children – had been recovered so far, authorities said, but added that more than 180 were still missing and feared drowned inside the double-deck MV Lightning Sun.
As it capsized in shallow water, the ferry turned upside down, leaving the bottom of the hull exposed in the Meghna River, near Chandpur town, 40 miles southeast of capital Dhaka, witnesses and authorities said.
“Even though the ferry sank close to shore, the river is turbulent here and it is hampering the rescue work,” Miah said.
Seven injured passengers were rescued from the ferry’s wreckage.
The ferry was sailing from southwestern Madaripur district to Dhaka.
“Many of us woke up as high winds jolted the vessel,” said Omar Ali, one of the survivors in Chandpur town. ”People panicked and began screaming for help.”
Ali said he and some others jumped into the river in the darkness and swam safely to the river bank as the vessel’s pilot tried unsuccessfully to run the sinking ferry ashore.
A government rescue vessel, Rustam, finally reached the scene of the sinking after heavy rains had disrupted rescue work for several hours in the morning.
Shipping Minister Akbar Hossain and senior government officials were at the scene.
