At least 23 passengers have died in Dhaka (Bangladesh's capital) when a ferry ship sank following a collision, officials announced. The ferry (reportedly carrying ~100 passengers) capsized in Buriganga River (southwest Dhaka), officials revealed on Monday, June 29.
The dead include 6 women and 3 kids, Shahjahan Shikder, a fire service official said. He added that so far, they had recovered 23 bodies and were looking for those missing.
Rescuers are continuing their search, according to Debashish Bardhan, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence. It is not clear how many people are still missing or swam to safety.
The vessel went down after colliding with another passenger ferry Monday morning, the chief of Bangladesh's Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Golam Sadeq said.
Each year hundreds of people die in ferry accidents in Bangladesh, a low-lying country that has slack safety standards.