23 drown as ferry capsizes in Bangladesh

A ferry carrying 1,500 passengers home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha festival capsized at Nazirpur area in southwestern Bangladesh drowning 23 people, officials said.

Rescuers working overnight recovered 23 bodies including of women and children from the three-deck ferry which capsized after almost berthing at the coastal town of Bhola, 104 km from Dhaka, local superintendent of police told PTI.

The ferry MV Como was bound for Bhola from Dhaka when it tipped after reaching the destination with its rear portion sinking into the sea.

Seven bodies were recovered last night while 16 other passengers of the ill-fated vessel were fished out today, police said.

They said searches were still on to find out if more people had drowned.

"People were drowned as they got trapped inside the cabins," the police chief said adding that most of the passengers, however, swam ashore safely or were rescued by smaller boats as the mishap happened close to the shore.

Eye-witnesses said the passengers became panicky after hearing a loud noise at the lower deck, and made a scramble to disembark, fearing it had cracked.

The state-run Bangladesh Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) officials said a salvage vessel was expected to reach the scene to retrieve the launch.