Bangladesh ferry mishap toll climbs to 110

Rescuers and naval divers on Wednesday recovered more bodies from an ill-fated ferry which capsized in Meghna River in southwest Bangladesh, taking the death toll to 110 in one of the worst boat tragedies in the country in recent times.

The ferry MV Shariatpur-1 had collided head-on with a cargo vessel and capsized at 3 am local time on Tuesday, trapping most of the estimated 300 passengers on board.

The sunken double-decker vessel was retrieved from under 70 feet of water, 37 hours after it capsized in the Meghna River in Munshiganj area, and towed to the river bank, officials said.

The death toll rose to 110 after rescuers recovered more bodies today, they said, adding that the salvage operation was being wrapped up.

"The salvage campaign is being wrapped up. The toll stood at 110 and possibilities are bleak about finding more bodies," said Munshiganj's police chief Shahabuddin Khan.   

He said relatives in small boats, who joined the navy, coastguard and fire service operators in searching for the missing people in the river, were withdrawing gradually.

Officials said all the bodies recovered today were inside the vessel while the 36 bodies retrieved on Tuesday were found floating on the river around the accident scene at Gazaria area of suburban Munshiganj.