Dozens of passengers missing in central Bangladesh ferry sinking

Locals and relatives gather to await news of survivors. The capsized ferry was carrying at least 250 passengers (EPA)

Rescuers have managed to save up to 100 passengers after a ferry capsized in central Bangladesh but dozens more are still missing.

The vessel, the MV Pinak, was crossing the River Padma in Munshiganj district, around 20 miles from the capital Dhaka, when it ran into problems.

Local media reports said up to 250 people may have been on board at the time. Fire and rescue crews were hurried to the scene in an effort to save people who had fallen into the water. Reuters reported that officials said by Monday evening, around half of the estimated total number of passengers had been rescued.

Mohammad Saiful Hasan Badal, said approximately 100 people had been saved by the emergency teams but that there was no information about bodies being recovered.

Such accidents are all too commonplace in Bangladesh as a result of safety standards being ignored and intense overcrowding on such vessels, especially in rural parts of the country where they are an important and even essential form of transport. In May, about 50 people died in the same district in a ferry accident.