Bangladesh ferry collision kills dozens

A FERRY has capsized in central Bangladesh, killing at least 65 people including a young baby.

The ferry, carry more than 100 people, collided with a trawler on the river Padma about 40km (25 miles) north-west of the capital Dhaka.

At least 50 passengers managed to swim ashore or were saved, officials said, with rescue efforts ongoing.

Accidents are common on Bangladesh’s river network, with overcrowding and poor boat quality often to blame.

Regional police official Harun-ur Rashid told Reuters news agency that 23 bodies had been found when the ferry was recovered.

“There might be more bodies trapped inside the ferry and searching is continuing,” he said.

Police have seized the trawler and arrested two of its crew.

Hafizur Rahman Sheikh, who survived the crash, told Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo newspaper that many passengers were trapped on the lower decks when the ferry sank.

A similar accident on earlier this month killed at least seven passengers in southern Bangladesh, and in August 2014 more than 100 people died when a ferry with a capacity of 85 crashed with more than 200 people aboard.