Rescue workers search for survivors after ferry sinks in Bangladesh

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a ferry with up to 50 passengers on board sank following a collision with another boat in Bangladesh on Sunday, officials have said.

The one-and-a-half story vessel sank in the Shitalakhsya river in central Bangladesh at around 6 p.m. local time after leaving the industrial city of Narayanganj, some 20 kilometers from the country's capital Dhaka.

The ferry was packed with passengers rushing to leave Narayanganj after the government confirmed a seven-day lockdown in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19 amid a surge in infections, a local police inspector said.

Some 11 people have already been pulled from the water, confirmed Shukla Sarker, government administrator of the district of Narayanganj.

Sarker said that others may have managed to swim to safety on the other side of the river, meaning "we don't know how many people are missing. The fire service divers are here and they are conducting rescue work," she added.

However, as the search continues, local police chief Dipak Saha said rescue efforts were being hampered by a powerful storm that hit after the incident.

Source(s): AFP