Dhaka: A ferry carrying about 100 passengers capsized in a river in eastern Bangladesh on Thursday, leaving at least 24 people dead and scores feared missing, a police official said.
Local police chief Jamil Ahmed said villagers and rescuers plucked 24 bodies from the River Meghna in Brahmanbaria and divers were looking for more.
Many passengers were able to swim ashore, but the number of missing was unclear, he said.
The ferry apparently went down after hitting the wreckage of another cargo ferry that sunk a few days ago, Ahmed said.
He said police would investigate the accident, which took place about 50 miles (80 kilometres) east of the capital, Dhaka.
Ferry accidents, often blamed on overcrowding and lax rules, are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation of 150 million people.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, April 21, 2011, 16:16