Five dead, unknown number missing in Bangladeshi ferry capsizal

DHAKA -- At least 5 bodies were found after a ferry carrying some 60-70 people sank on Thursday morning in a river in Bangladesh's southern Bhola district, some 205 km away of Dhaka, while an unknown number of passengers remain missing.

Anis Shikder, officer-in-charge of Bhola's Monpura police station, told Xinhua over mobile phone that "five bodies including four children and one woman have so far been found."

He could not tell the exact number of missing passengers.

An official who preferred to be unnamed said the ferry was carrying about 60-70 passengers.

The ferry capsized in Meghna, one of the three rivers that form the Ganges Delta, at around 11:00 a.m. local time.

Shikder said a search operation is underway, and a rescue vessel has been called in to boost local efforts to salvage the ferry.

Many passengers were able to swim ashore after the ferry capsized in high winds, said the officer.