At least 600 drown as ferry sinks

OVERCROWDING may have caused the death of 600 people who were missing and feared dead yesterday after a river ferry capsized in southern Bangladesh.

The triple-deck vessel which officially had 750 people on board sank

in 200 feet of water at the confluence of the Padma, Meghna and Dakatia rivers near Chandpur, 64km south of Dhaka.

However local reports said more than 1,000 passengers may have been on board, nearly three time its capacity.

The ferry was extremely overcrowded as about 400 passengers boarded it at the last moment after

another ferry cancelled its voyage, the Ittefaq newspaper said. Many of the passengers were sleeping at the time. About 150 people were able to swim to shore or were rescued by fishermen.

Only two bodies have been recovered so far and rescuers have been unable to locate the sunken vessel, which is under 200ft of water.

The ferry was travelling from the capital to southern Bhola district when it sank, said Manzoor-e-Elahi, the area’s government administrator.

Among the survivors was Sujan, a seven-year-old boy.

“I held on a small piece of wood,” said the boy, whose father is missing. “Please find my father.”

Rina Begum, 25, was another survivor.

“I was sitting on the upper deck with my three-year-old daughter,” said Begum, who was rescued by fishermen. “There was a big jolt and the ferry started going down.”

Heavy monsoon rains have swollen many rivers in Bangladesh. Elahi said police and locals were out on boats searching for survivors.

A salvage ship equipped with cranes also attended the scene. Hundreds of anxious relatives and survivors lined the shores or joined rescue teams searching for the missing.

The Meghna river has been perilous for ferries with a succession of tragedies.

In May 2002, more than 300 died when a triple-decked ferry sank in the Meghna. In August 1994, more than 250 died in its waters and 600 perished in May 1986.