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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Two Bangladesh Boats Capsize, 100 Dead

Rescue workers searched Tuesday for about 265 people missing after two ferry boats capsized during tropical storms in different parts of Bangladesh, killing nearly 100 people, authorities said.


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Rescue workers searched Tuesday for about 265 people missing after two ferry boats capsized during tropical storms in different parts of Bangladesh, killing nearly 100 people, authorities said.

Ninety bodies, including those of women and children, were recovered Monday night and Tuesday morning after a double-deck ferry, MV Mitali, went down in the Buriganga River near the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, the Shipping Ministry said. About 215 people were still missing, many of them feared dead and trapped inside the sunken ferry.

"The death toll is certain to rise," said Selim Newaz Chowdhury, public relations officer at the Bangladesh Fire Brigade, which is conducting the rescue work. "No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived."

Bangladesh media reports said the ferry was carrying up to 400 passengers and only a few managed to swim ashore.

Ferries in Bangladesh don't always keep a list of passengers, making it difficult to determine the exact number.

In Monday's second accident, the single-deck ML Majlishpur capsized in the Meghna River. Searchers found five bodies. Fifty other people, including members of a wedding party, were missing, said Priyatosh Shah, a government administrator in the area. He did not provide any details.

Strong winds and rain lashed parts of the South Asian country on Monday, leaving another 12 people dead.

United News of Bangladesh reported that the 12 died when their house collapsed in the country's north. Hundreds of flimsy homes were damaged by falling trees and electricity poles, it said.

Tropical storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh, a delta nation of 130 million people, as are boating accidents. On Sunday, storms killed at least seven people and injured 50 others, officials and news reports said.

Twenty-two people died when a double-deck ferry carrying about 200 passengers sank April 12 in the Nagchinni River in northern Kishoreganj district. (Source: agencies)


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