The relatives of passengers who were on the boat that capsized on Sunday look on as authorities carry out a salvage operation. AFP
DHAKA: Rescuers have recovered 28 bodies from a river outside Bangladesh’s capital after a ferry collided with another vessel and capsized, an official said on Monday.
The ferry ML Rabit Al Hasan sank on Sunday night after being hit by a cargo vessel in the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj district, just outside Dhaka, officials said.
The search for survivors from the ferry disaster was called off on Monday, officials said, with the death toll rising to 28 when rescuers pulled the vessel from the water and found bodies inside.
Share on Facebook
Local police chief Dipak Saha said rescue efforts were hampered for hours by a powerful storm that hit after the accident.
Under the lockdown, all domestic travel services - including buses, ferries, trains and flights - will be suspended from Monday.
Shops and malls will be shut for a week and a night curfew in effect.
Public and private sector businesses were told to only have a skeleton crew in their offices.
READ MORE
Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers.
Millions of people are heavily reliant on ferries for transport, particularly in the country s southern coastal region, but the vessels have a poor safety record.
5 Dead As Bangladesh Ferry Sinks After Collision 5 Dead As Bangladesh Ferry Sinks After Collision The vessel sank in the Shitalakhsya river around 6:00 pm after leaving the central industrial city of Narayanganj, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital Dhaka, for the nearby district of Munshiganj, officials told AFP.
Updated: April 05, 2021 7:18 am IST
People cram on a ferry to travel back to their homes in Dhaka ahead of a lockdown from April 5
Dhaka:
Five people died and rescue workers searched for survivors after a small ferry packed with up to 50 passengers sank having collided with another boat in Bangladesh on Sunday, officials said.