10 dead and hundreds missing as a Bangladesh ferry sinks
Exact number of passengers was not known as It is common to carry many more people than official limit
Dhaka: A heavily-laden ferry capsized and sank in central Bangladesh on Thursday after being caught in a storm, leaving at least 10 people dead and hundreds more missing, police and officials said.
Survivors of what is the latest in a string of ferry disasters to blight Bangladesh said the vessel had gone down in a matter of minutes, giving passengers little time to leap to safety.
The exact number of passengers was not immediately known. It is common for ferries to carry many more than their official limit. “We are receiving confusing figures on how many passengers were on board when it sank, but the number could range from 200 to 350,” district government administrator Saiful Hasan said.
“The toll now stands at 10,” he said of the accident on the river Meghna in Munshiganj district, some 50 kilometres south of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.