Death toll in ferry sinking rises to 58

A rescue ship has righted a capsized ferry, easing the work of those searching the submerged cabins for scores believed trapped inside more than a day after the boat sank in southern Bangladesh.

Authorities said 58 people have been confirmed dead.

The M.V. Coco was packed with hundreds of travellers leaving Dhaka to head home for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha when it went down late on Friday.

It started to take on water as it arrived at Nazirhat town in the coastal district of Bhola, 64 miles south of the capital.

Local police official Mohammad Mahmud said today a rescue ship used iron ropes to right the submerged ferry, exposing over a dozen bodies inside its water-filled hull.

Mr Mahmud said the search was continuing into this evening, and the death toll had climbed to 58.