Dozens drown after boat capsizes in northeast Bangladesh

Dozens drown after boat capsizes in northeast Bangladesh

2010-12-19 01:56:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

SUNAMGANJ, BANGLADESH (BNO NEWS) -- More than 30 people were killed on Saturday when a boat carrying nearly 50 people capsized in northeast Bangladesh, police and local media said.

The accident happened around 9.30 p.m. local time on the Surma River in Sunamganj District when the boat was struck by a sand-laden trawler, causing it to capsize, according to the BDNews24 news agency. It said 35 bodies had so far been recovered.

Police said the boat was carrying a total of 46 people, of which only one person was able to swim to safety. Ten people remain missing and are presumed to have drowned as well.

Ferry and boat accidents happen frequently in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by more than 250 rivers. On June 8, seventeen people were killed when a trawler carrying around 100 people capsized in northeastern Bangladesh. About a month later, on July 4, thirteen people were killed when a boat also carrying around 100 people capsized near the capital Dhaka.

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