Asia-Pacific

Bangladesh ferry capsizes at dock; 30 dead

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-28 14:17

DHAKA, Bangladesh: A ferry packed with people going home for an Islamic festival capsized as they disembarked at a terminal in southern Bangladesh, leaving at least 30 dead and scores missing, authorities said Saturday.

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Police and fire brigade divers pulled 30 bodies from the sunken part of the ferry, local police officials Saiful Islam and Showkat Hossain said. Many of the dead were women and children.

The triple-deck ferry, M.V. Coco, was traveling late Friday from Dhaka to the coastal town of Bhola and was crowded with people heading home to celebrate the Eid-ul-Azha festival, he said.

It tipped and its rear portion sank in the Tetulia River as many passengers scrambled to disembark at a terminal near Bhola, 104 kilometers (64 miles) south of Dhaka, witnesses said.

It was unclear how many people were on board when the boat capsized.

Dhaka's private ETV television station said the ferry was carrying more than 1,500 people when it left Dhaka. It said many people had already disembarked when the accident occurred.

In Bangladesh, ferry authorities usually don't keep passenger lists, making it difficult to know the number of passengers on board.
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