At least 24 dead in Bangladesh ferry accident

A ferry carrying about 100 passengers has capsized in a river in eastern Bangladesh, leaving at least 24 people dead and scores feared missing, police said.

Villagers and rescuers pulled 24 bodies from the River Meghna in Brahmanbaria and divers were looking for more, local police chief Jamil Ahmed said.

Many passengers were able to swim ashore, but the number of missing was unclear, he said.

The ferry apparently went down after hitting the wreckage of another cargo ferry that sunk a few days ago, he said.

He said police would investigate the accident, which took place about 50 miles east of the capital, Dhaka.

Ferry accidents, often blamed on overcrowding and lax rules, are common in Bangladesh, a nation of 150 million people.