5 dead in Bangladesh ferry capsize

At least five people were killed and over a dozen went missing after a passenger ferry sunk in a river near Bangladesh capital Dhaka officials said, according to local media reports.

The incident took place on Sunday.

According to Bangladesh local media, the double-decker ferry carrying more than 50 passengers sank after a cargo vessel hit it in the Shitalakshya River near Madanpur of Narayanganj district, an official said.

More than a dozen people are reported missing while the others managed to swim ashore, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority official Mobarak Hossain was quoted as saying.

Rescuers from the Fire Service and Civil Defence found the bodies adrift in the river near the accident site, nearly 30 kilometres south of Dhaka, Hossain said.

Amateur video footage taken by the locals showed that the ferry, which was en route on a 45-minute trip from Narayanganj to neighboring Munshiganj district, sank immediately after a cargo vessel hit it from the rear, reported local media.

Local government official Nahida Barek said a seven-member panel was assigned to determine the cause of the accident.

Serious accidents involving ferries are quite common in Bangladesh, a country of many rivers. Experts blame poor safety measures and the tax implementation of regulations.

( With inputs from ANI )