At least 25 dead in Bangladesh shipwreck

Rescuers recovered 25 bodies from a river outside the capital of Bangladeshafter a ferry collided with another ship and was wrecked, authorities said Monday.

The ML Rabit Al Hasan ferry sank Sunday night after being struck by a cargo ship on the Shitalakkhya river in Narayanganj district outside Dhaka, authorities said.

Rescue teams located five bodies overnight and another 20 on Monday, said Ershad Hossain, head of civil protection and firefighters. Nine other people were missing, he added.

The double-deck ferry was traveling to neighboring Munshiganj district with more than 50 passengers when the accident occurred, Hossain explained.

Authorities blamed the freighter, which was carrying sand, for hitting the ferry and ordered an investigation.

Sadhan Saha, 50, received his wife’s body, but his two children were still missing.

“My wife went to Dhaka for my son’s eye treatment. They came back on the ferry at night. The last time I spoke to my wife before the accident, she said they were on the way back, ”Saha told the Prothom Alo newspaper. “Now I have no one left in my family.”

Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, which has about 130 rivers. Ferries are the main means of transport, especially in the south and northeast of the country. Claims are often attributed to overcharging and lax regulation.