Finding More Bangladesh Ferry Victims Unlikely
A Bangladeshi official said on Friday there was no chance of finding further survivors of a ferry that sank in a storm with about 200 people on board, the latest in a series of fatal ferry accidents to hit the poverty-stricken country. Twenty-eight people are known to have drowned when the M.V. Miraj-4 capsized on the Meghna river near the capital, Dhaka, on Thursday. About 40 people swam to shore and 35 were rescued, police and rescue officials said, meaning about 100 people were unaccounted for as wailing relatives thronged the river bank. "Now it is more than 20 hours since the ferry sank, so there is no possibility to find anyone alive inside the vessel," Saiful Hassan Badal, deputy commissioner of Munshiganj district, told Reuters.
Update: Bangladesh Ferry Death Toll Rising
A Bangladeshi river ferry with around 200 passengers on board capsized in a storm on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, and a rescue diver said he had seen more bodies inside the wreck. Police said some 40 people had swum ashore as the M.V. Miraj-4 capsized in high winds and rain on the Meghna river near the capital Dhaka. Most of the passengers were city workers and students heading home for the weekend beginning on Friday. "We fear there will be more bodies inside the vessel and we cannot be sure of the number of passengers (on board)," Saiful Hassan Badal, Deputy Commissioner of Munshiganj district, told Reuters by telephone from the scene.
Bangladesh Ferry Capsizes, 6 Confirmed Dead
A Bangladeshi ferry with around 200 passengers on board capsized in a river near the capital Dhaka on Thursday, with police reporting that at least six bodies had been recovered with a rescue vessel still on the way to the site. The M.V. Miraj-4 ferry capsized in stormy weather in the Meghna river at Rasulpur in Munshiganj district, 27 kilometres from Dhaka. The accident occurred at around 3:30 pm (0930 GMT). The ferry had been going to Shariatpur from Dhaka. "We are heading to the spot with rescue team," said Saiful Hassan Badal, Deputy Commissioner of Munshiganj district told Reuters. He said the navy and coast guard were sening rescue teams and a ship had been sent from Dhaka.
