<div>In one of the worst boat tragedies in recent times, at least 32 people, including women and children, were killed and nearly 200 missing when a ferry packed with 300 passengers capsized in a river in central Bangladesh today after a head-on collision with an oil tanker.<br /><br /><div>"Divers have recovered 32 bodies from the sunken vessel including five women and three children," Superintendent of Police Tariqul Islam said.<br /><br /></div><div>Rescue workers and Naval divers toiled for hours to bring back to surface the sunken double-decker ferry to bring out the trapped passengers, 50 of whom swam to safety.</div><div> </div><div>While media reports identified the boat involved in the tragedy as passenger ferry 'MV Shariatpur', Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said it was a commercial-cum passenger ferry carrying sand and chillies bound for Dhaka's Sadarghat Terminal from western Shariatpur when it collided with the oil tanker and sank at about 3 am this morning.<br /><br /></div><div>"It is feared that more people are still trapped in the sunken vessel and salvage vessel is making efforts to break into the trapped ferry," he said.<br /><br /></div><div>"We fear that the death toll is likely to rise as more bodies are trapped inside," the minister said while local officials said that a better picture of the casualties would be known once the sunken vessel is brought to surface.</div><div> </div><div>The minister said that action would be taken against the owners of the vessel after investigations.<br /><br /></div><div>Confusion still prevailed over numbers of passengers involved in the mishap as ferry operators rarely keep a list of passengers. Most passengers buy tickets once on board. <br /><br /></div><div>"Fifty passengers swam ashore or were rescued by nearby fishing boats and two other launches," president of Inland Waterways Passenger Career Association Badiuzzaman Badal told PTI.<br /><br /></div><div>The tragedy occurred in the river Meghna in the Munshiganj district, about 32 kilometres south of Dhaka after the ferry collided head-on with a tanker carrying oil.<br /><br /></div><div>Ferry boats are the main form of travel in river criss-crossed Bangladesh and often ply overloaded. The country has witnessed a spate of boat tragedies in recent time, with the worst being in 2009 when 85 people drowned when a ferry capsized off Bhola island in the country's south.<br /><br /></div><div>Relatives of the missing passengers have gathered on the bank of the river.<br /><br /></div><div>Survivor Dulal Dewan told reporters that the launch was on its way from Naria of Shariatpur to Dhaka. Dulal said eight members of his family were still missing.<br /><br /></div><div>"My brother-in-law Shamim Fakir and his wife Poly were among them. They were scheduled to leave for Dubai on an 11am flight," he was quoted as saying by Bdnews 24.<br /><br /></div><div>One shipping official said it was difficult to get a reliable estimate as ferry operators rarely keep a list of passengers. Most passengers buy tickets once on board.<br /><br /></div><div>Meanwhile the shipping minister announced that Tk 30,000 (USD 367) will be provided for a victim's family and Tk 45,000 (USD 550) for the family with more than one victim. </div></div>
<div>In one of the worst boat tragedies in recent times, at least 32 people, including women and children, were killed and nearly 200 missing when a ferry packed with 300 passengers capsized in a river in central Bangladesh today after a head-on collision with an oil tanker.<br /><br /><div>"Divers have recovered 32 bodies from the sunken vessel including five women and three children," Superintendent of Police Tariqul Islam said.<br /><br /></div><div>Rescue workers and Naval divers toiled for hours to bring back to surface the sunken double-decker ferry to bring out the trapped passengers, 50 of whom swam to safety.</div><div> </div><div>While media reports identified the boat involved in the tragedy as passenger ferry 'MV Shariatpur', Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said it was a commercial-cum passenger ferry carrying sand and chillies bound for Dhaka's Sadarghat Terminal from western Shariatpur when it collided with the oil tanker and sank at about 3 am this morning.<br /><br /></div><div>"It is feared that more people are still trapped in the sunken vessel and salvage vessel is making efforts to break into the trapped ferry," he said.<br /><br /></div><div>"We fear that the death toll is likely to rise as more bodies are trapped inside," the minister said while local officials said that a better picture of the casualties would be known once the sunken vessel is brought to surface.</div><div> </div><div>The minister said that action would be taken against the owners of the vessel after investigations.<br /><br /></div><div>Confusion still prevailed over numbers of passengers involved in the mishap as ferry operators rarely keep a list of passengers. Most passengers buy tickets once on board. <br /><br /></div><div>"Fifty passengers swam ashore or were rescued by nearby fishing boats and two other launches," president of Inland Waterways Passenger Career Association Badiuzzaman Badal told PTI.<br /><br /></div><div>The tragedy occurred in the river Meghna in the Munshiganj district, about 32 kilometres south of Dhaka after the ferry collided head-on with a tanker carrying oil.<br /><br /></div><div>Ferry boats are the main form of travel in river criss-crossed Bangladesh and often ply overloaded. The country has witnessed a spate of boat tragedies in recent time, with the worst being in 2009 when 85 people drowned when a ferry capsized off Bhola island in the country's south.<br /><br /></div><div>Relatives of the missing passengers have gathered on the bank of the river.<br /><br /></div><div>Survivor Dulal Dewan told reporters that the launch was on its way from Naria of Shariatpur to Dhaka. Dulal said eight members of his family were still missing.<br /><br /></div><div>"My brother-in-law Shamim Fakir and his wife Poly were among them. They were scheduled to leave for Dubai on an 11am flight," he was quoted as saying by Bdnews 24.<br /><br /></div><div>One shipping official said it was difficult to get a reliable estimate as ferry operators rarely keep a list of passengers. Most passengers buy tickets once on board.<br /><br /></div><div>Meanwhile the shipping minister announced that Tk 30,000 (USD 367) will be provided for a victim's family and Tk 45,000 (USD 550) for the family with more than one victim. </div></div>