Death toll rises to at least 65 in Bangladesh ferry disaster

Relatives try to console a woman after a ferry capsized in the Padma river near Manikganj, Bangladesh, 22 February 2015. [Photo/IC]

By Monday morning, police had handed over 50 bodies to their families, said local police chief Mohammaed Rakibuzzman. At least eight were children, he said.

A passenger who survived said many people were trapped inside the ferry when it sank. "The passengers who were on the deck survived, but many who were inside were trapped," Hafizur Rahman Sheikh was quoted as saying by the Prothom Alo newspaper.

Sheikh said the cargo vessel hit the middle of the ferry.

A Ministry of Shipping statement said an investigation had been ordered.

The Padma is one of the largest rivers in Bangladesh, where overcrowding and poor safety standards are often blamed for ferry disasters.

Last August, a ferry with a capacity of 85 passengers was found to be carrying more than 200 when it capsized on the Padma near Dhaka, leaving more than 100 people dead or missing. The ferry's owner was arrested after weeks in hiding on charges of culpable homicide, unauthorized operation and overloading.

At least five people die earlier this month when a ferry sank in southern Bangladesh.

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