At least 68 people died after a passenger ferry capsized in Bangladesh, and the death toll could rise, officials said..
The double-decker ferry which was heading to Paturia from Daulatdia in Rajbari, located on the opposite bank of the river and 136 km (85 miles) northwest sank after it was hit by a cargo vessel around midday Sunday, police and witnesses said.
Rescuers managed to save at least 50 passengers and were still searching for more survivors, regional police official Bidhan Tripura told Reuters.
The 39 bodies retrieved so far from the water, more than half of them women and children, Tripura said. Police have seized the trawler and arrested the captain and his two crew, he said.
Another police team, assisted by firemen and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, was trying to salvage the ferry, he said. Divers were also trying to retrieve any bodies trapped inside the vessel.
The shipping minister, Shajahan Khan told reporters at the scene that an investigation had been launched.
"A probe committee has been formed and they have been directed to find out the real cause of this sad incident within seven days," he said.
Overcrowding of ferries and poor monitoring systems are persistent problems in Bangladesh, which sees scores of casualties from ferry accidents every year.
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