At least 68 people, including seven children, were killed as a ferry sank following a collision with a cargo vessel in the Padma river in central Bangladesh, the Daily Star newspaper has reported.
A total of 41 bodies have been recovered. Around 80 to 90 passengers were either rescued or they swam to reach the shore, witnesses said. Another 38 people have gone missing.
The Mostafa ferry, carrying more than 200 people, according to survivors, went down on Monday morning after the collision with cargo vessel Nargis-1 some 70 kilometers from the country’s capital Dhaka.
Up to 100 people could have been trapped inside the ferry. Authorities say that it is impossible to count the exact number of passengers as the owner of the ferry did not register the tickets.
The captain of the cargo vessel and two crew members have been arrested for violation of safety rules.
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