Six dead, several missing after passenger boat sinks in Bangladesh

April 12th, 2010 - 4:04 pm ICT by BNO News  

DHAKA (BNO NEWS) — At least six people drowned and several others were missing after a boat in Bangladesh’s Barisal district sank during rough weather on Sunday night, police said, according to a news report.

Sohrab Ali, police head of Mehendiganj sub-district, told the Xinhua News Agency that the mechanized boat sank in the Maskata river, about 169 kilometers (105 miles) south of the capital. About 35 to 40 passengers were on board.

Ali said the boat was overcrowded and was caught in strong currents and stormy weather. He said the bodies of six people, including three women and one child, were recovered by Sunday night.

A search for the missing people is continuing, and Ali said they may have been taken far away by the strong current of the river. Around two dozen passengers were able to swim to safety.

Some 1,000 people die in ferry accidents on average every year in Bangladesh.

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