In one of the worst riverine accidents, over 600 people were feared dead after an overcrowded ferry with 750 passengers on board capsized on Tuesday night in southern Bangladesh.
The double decker ferry MV Nasreen-1 capsized at the confluence of the Padma, Meghna and Dakatia rivers as it was about to approach a ferry terminal in Chandpur town in Bhola district, local officials said.
Ferries had been instructed to bypass the route as the confluence was considered dangerous in the monsoon season because of whirlwind tides.
Around 150 passengers, who were on the upper deck, swam to safety, they said adding two bodies have been recovered after rescue operations.
Survivors were quoted as saying that the ferry was 'extremely overcrowded'.
The ferry was also carrying large supplies of food and material when the accident took place, vernacular daily The Jugantor said quoting two surviving cabin boys.
The steel and wood ferry got overcrowded after another ferry cancelled a scheduled trip, reports said.
Although the ferry has an official capacity of 429 passengers, local authorities said the ferry was certainly overcrowded.
According to the two cabin boys, the ferry was carrying around 900 passengers.
However, the exact number of passenger on board is difficult to ascertain as ferries rarely maintain a passenger list or issue tickets.
After a series of boat accidents recently, the shipping ministry had issued orders banning overloading of passengers in ferries.