50 people missing as boat capsizes in Bangladesh

At least 50 people, including women and children, remained missing as an engine boat capsized with over 100 passengers Sunday night after a sand laden cargo rammed it in Bangladesh's Shitalakkhya river in Narayanganj district, 17 kms southeast of capital Dhaka.

Aktar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Narayanganj Sadar Police Station, was quoted as saying by leading English newspaper The Daily Star that the engine boat with around 100 passengers departed for the other side of the river at around 10:00 p.m. local time.

As it reached in the middle of the river, a sand-laden cargo rammed it, he said.

"Around 20-30 passengers have been rescued immediately after the incident while six of the injured were admitted to different local hospitals," Hossain said.

Divers from Fire Service and Civil Defense and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) were carrying out rescue operation in cooperation with police and personnel from the district administration.

No body was recovered till the rescue operation was suspended at 1:30 a.m. Monday morning, he said.

Source: Xinhua