Ferry capsize kills 37 in northeastern Bangladesh

At least 37 people, all of them women and children, were killed when a boat packed with passengers capsized after a head-on collision with a sand-laden cargo vessel in a river in northeastern Bangladesh, officials said today.

The mishap occurred last night in Alipur area of Sunamganj district, 296 kilometers northeast of the capital Dhaka.

"The boat carrying around 100 people capsized in the tributary of the Surma River at around 9 pm yesterday," a police officer told PTI.

Quoting local villagers and government leaders, he said several of passengers swam ashore safely after the collision. Fire service rescuers and policemen were also sent to the remote accident scene, 40 kilometres from the district headquarters.

But, local media reports said a number of people were still missing and rescuers feared the death toll could rise as searches were underway to find more bodies.

They said 37 people were killed - 20 children and 17 women.

The mass circulated 'Samakal' newspaper quoted a surviver as saying that he jumped off the boat and swam ashore but his wife and five other family members drowned, whose bodies were recovered by villagers later.

The boat was travelling from Sunamganj to the neighbouring Kishoreganj district.

Boat accidents are common in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by 230 rivers, due to poor safety standards and overcrowding.

So far this year, dozens of people have been killed in several boat accidents in Bangladesh.