Dhaka: The death toll in the capsizing of a overcrowded ferry in southwestern Bangladesh rose to 75 with rescuers fishing out 17 more bodies from the river Tetulia.
As salvage operations continued for the fourth day today, rescue workers retrieved 13 more bodies from the river, where three-deck ferry MV Como capsized on Friday night, Nazrul Islam, chairman of the local district board said.
He said four more bodies were found last night in the river.
The ferry carrying more than 1500 people was bound for Nazirpur area in southwestern Bhola district from the capital Dhaka when it capsized just off the shore with its rear portion sinking into the river water.
"The toll is climbing up as rescue workers are finding more and more bloated bodies inside the cabins which were submerged in the river," Islam said.
Salvage ships were trying to toe the sunken ferry close to the shore to make search operations easier.
Authorities have sent one more salvage ship to speed up the efforts to raise the ferry.
Though officials are tightlipped about how many more bodies are still trapped inside the ferry, sources put the number at between 40-50.
PTI
First Published: Monday, November 30, 2009, 16:48