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Search for 200 passengers continues after Bangladeshi ferry capsizes

By Farid Ahmed for CNN DHAKA, Bangladesh (CNN) — At least two people have been killed, and scores remain missing as Bangladeshi rescuers continue to searc...
Bangladesh ferry capsizes

By Farid Ahmed

for CNN

DHAKA, Bangladesh (CNN) — At least two people have been killed, and scores remain missing as Bangladeshi rescuers continue to search for survivors after a river-going ferry capsized in Bangladesh, police said.

The boat, the Pinak-6, capsized late Monday morning in the Padma river, around 60 km (37 miles) south of the capital, Dhaka.

Witnesses said the ferry had about 300 people on board when it sank. Two bodies have been recovered so far, Jakir Hossain Majumder, a superintendent of police, told CNN.

Exact numbers of missing were not available, as passenger manifests are often disregarded in the country. Overcrowding of ferries is a persistent problem in Bangladesh, which sees scores of casualties from ferry accidents every year.

“The ferry was overcrowded and the river was very rough because of bad weather,” Majumder said. Authorities denied reports that the accident happened because of a collision.

Police and rescuers believe as many as 100 people could have either swum to the shore or have been rescued by local fishermen.

One of the survivors, Abul Hossain, said that most people traveling on the boat’s deck survived, but passengers in the cabins remained missing.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked rescuers to take all necessary steps to facilitate the rescue operation, and salvage the stricken vessel, the national news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, reported.

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