Ferry sinks after colliding in Bangladesh; at least 25 dead

Rescuers pull out a ferry that sank Sunday night after being hit by a cargo vessel in the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj district, outside Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo / AP

Rescuers have recovered 25 bodies from a river outside Bangladesh's capital after a ferry collided with another vessel and capsized, an official said Monday.

The ferry ML Rabit Al Hasan sank Sunday night after being hit by a cargo vessel in the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj district, just outside Dhaka, officials said.

Fire and civil defense official Ershad Hossain said rescuers recovered five bodies overnight and 20 others on Monday. Nine other people remained missing, he said.

Hossain said the double-decker ferry was traveling to neighboring Munshiganj district with more than 50 passengers when the accident took place.

Authorities blamed the oil-laden cargo vessel with hitting the ferry and ordered an investigation.

Relatives cry as rescuers recover bodies after a ferry sank Sunday night after being hit by a cargo vessel in the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj district, outside Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo / AP

Sadhan Saha, 50, received his wife's body, but his two sons remained missing.

"My wife went to Dhaka for my son's treatment for eyes. They were returning on the ferry in the evening. The last time I talked to my wife before the accident, she said they were on their way back," Saha was quoted as saying by the Prothom Alo newspaper.

"Now I don't have anybody left in my family."

Ferry accidents are common and are often blamed on overcrowding and lax rules in Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by about 130 rivers. Ferries are a leading means of transportation, especially in the southern and northeastern regions.