Ferry capsize kills 17 in Bangladesh

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

BARISAL, Bangladesh (AP) — Officials said they were calling off the search for those still missing after a small ferry carrying about 60 people capsized on a river in southern Bangladesh early Thursday, killing at least 17 people.

The 60-foot-long (20-meter) ferry — which was rammed by a sand-laden trawler — was towed to shore and searched for bodies, but authorities called off the recovery effort late Thursday, said local river port official Rafiqul Islam. Rescuers recovered 17 bodies, he said.

"I think there are no more bodies," he said.

Witnesses saw more than 30 people swim some 650 feet (200 meters) to shore while onlookers using floats made of banana tree logs rescued survivors from the ferry, the ML Happy. Hundreds of onlookers and anxious relatives waited on the riverbank near Barisal, 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of the capital, Dhaka.



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