DHAKA, Bangladesh — A ferry packed with about 200 people capsized in a river in southern Bangladesh on Tuesday, killing six people and leaving dozens more missing, authorities said.
Local police chief Mohammad Shahabuddin Khan said about 35 people were rescued after the ferry sank on the Meghna River after colliding with a cargo boat. Divers have so far recovered six bodies from inside the sunken ferry, he said.
The accident site is in Munshiganj district, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the capital, Dhaka.
The MV Shariatpur-1 was traveling to Dhaka from neighboring Shariatpur district to the southwest.
Estimates as to how many people were on board the ferry varied.
Khan put the number at close to 200, while Dulal Dewan, a survivor, told reporters that about 300 people were on board when the ferry sank.
It is difficult to get a reliable estimate as ferry operators rarely keep a list of passengers. Most passengers buy tickets once on board.
Ferry accidents, often blamed on overcrowding, faulty vessels and lax rules, are common in Bangladesh, a low lying delta nation of 160 million people.
