DHAKA (Reuters) – A Bangladeshi ferry carrying about 50 passengers collided with a cargo ship and sank on Sunday in the Shitalakhsya River, south of the capital Dhaka, leaving at least 26 dead and some missing, officials said.
Twenty-one bodies were recovered on Monday. The ferry sank shortly after leaving the Narayanganj industrial district about 20 km (12 mi) from Dhaka to Munshiganj, said Mustain Billah, Narayanganj district administrator.
“Most of the bodies were found inside the sunken boat after it was dragged to shore,” he said, adding that some may still be missing.
Police and authorities said some of the passengers were able to swim to the beach.
Relatives gathered on the river bank to look for their loved ones. Rescuers, including fire brigade divers, were looking for survivors on Monday, while rescue operations were hampered by a storm last night.
The boat was packed with people rushing to leave the city after the government announced a weeklong national blockade on Monday to deal with an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Bangladesh reported a record daily jump of 7,087 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 637,364 with 9,266 deaths.
Hundreds of people die each year in ferry accidents in Bangladesh, a low-lying country that has extensive inland waterways, but safety standards are lax.
Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Michael Perry and Emelia Sithole-Matarise