Many others were still missing, they said, as rescue operations
continued.
The MV Shariatpur-1 capsized in the Meghna
River near Charjhapta, 60 kilometres
south of Dhaka, after it collided with a cargo vessel,
an officer of the Munshiganj district police said.
Divers recovered 28 bodies from inside the sunken boat,
including women and children, said Khandaker Shamsuzzaman, chairman of the
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.
They fear more bodies are trapped inside the sunken vessel, he
added.
Several thousand people thronged on the bank of the Meghna
River, near the accident scene,
searching for their missing relatives and friends as the divers continued their
search, police officer Mohammad Sahabuddin Ahmed said.
Around 40 people managed to swim ashore after the accident
occurred at about 2:30 am, chief
district administrator Azizul Alam quoted witnesses as saying.
Liton Mia, a passenger on the Dhaka-bound boat, told the Prothom
Alo newspaper that a few small boats tried to help those in the water, but only
around 50 people were rescued or swam ashore.
The government announced a small compensation package of the
family of the disaster victims.
Each of the families of the deceased will get 30 000 takas
($360), said Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan. Loss of two lives of a family
would raise the compensation package to 45 000 takas, he added.
Ferry accidents in riverine Bangladesh
are frequent because of lax implementation of laws, a lack of awareness about
the risks, and inadequate safety standard maintained by the vessel operators.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed expressed deep sympathy to
the bereaved family members and prayed for the salvation of the departed souls.
Hasina ordered the authorities concerned to expedite rescue operation.