Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The death toll from ferry capsize in the country’s southeastern Bhola district rose to 72, district administrator said on Monday evening.
"We’ve recovered 72 bodies so far. We fear that more people are trapped in the sunken ferry,” district administrator Mejbahul Islam said, adding that the rescue operations are going on and will resume on Tuesday morning.
The government has already formed a seven-member committee to find out the cause of the fatal ferry mishap. The probe body has been asked to report its findings within seven days, counting from November 28 to authorities concerned.
“The committee is now working to find out the cause of the ferry capsized,” the district administrator said, adding that initial investigation would be completed on Tuesday.
The ferry MV Coco-4, a local inland vessel, capsized in Tetulia river on late Friday when the passengers tried to get down from the ferry in a mess before it was anchored in the remote southern coastal village of Nazirpura, 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of the capital, Dhaka.
The tragedy might have occurred as the ferry was over loaded with passengers. The ferry was burdened with three times more passengers than it’s capacity of 650, local officials confirmed.
The ferry was en route Lalmohon upazila (sub-district) of Bhola from the capital, Dhaka on Friday afternoon packed with the people travelling to their village homes to celebrate Eid ul-Azha, the second largest Muslim religious festival.
Millions of people have left the capital for their home villages across the country by trains, buses and ferries to celebrate the Eid festival on Saturday in the South Asian country.
BBN/SS/SI/AD-01December09-1:58 pm (BST)