Dozens missing as ferry capsizes in southern Bangladesh

A ferry packed with about 100 passengers capsized Friday morning in a mighty river in Bangladesh 's southern Munshiganj district, some 27 km southeast of capital Dhaka, with dozens of people missing, local police said.

A police officer told Xinhua from Munshiganj's Gazaria sub- district that about 50 people have been rescued but still dozens of passengers are missing after the ferry capsized being hit by a sand-laden bulkhead.

No bodies have so far been retrieved, said the police official who did not like to be named.

The official said that fire brigade personnel and locals including fishermen are searching for those missing people.

He said that many passengers were able to swim ashore after the accident at about 7:00 a.m. local time on Friday but could not tell immediately about the exact number of the missing passengers.

He said a rescue vessel has been called in to boost local efforts to salvage the ferry.

Ferry and boat disasters are common in Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by about 250 rivers. Ferry is still a key means of transport in the country. Most of them are often overcrowded.

Dhaka (Xinhua)