Bangladesh ferry capsizes, five bodies fished out

Dhaka: Five bodies were recovered after an overcrowded trawler sank in Paira river in Bangladesh with about 200 people on board Friday, police said.

Two others remained unaccounted for nearly six hours after the accident Friday noon at the point of the river opening out to the Bay of Bengal in Barguna district, bdnews24.com reported.

The others have been rescued, Tatoli police station officer Babul Akter said.

Police identified two of the victims as 60-year-old Joynal Abedin of Kuakata and Soyjuddin Choukidar, 55, of Lakshmipur.

One of the passengers said all of them were going to Bamna upazila's Cholabhanga Darbar Sharif to attend a three-day religious sermon beginning Friday.

The vessel's engine abruptly shut down when it reached the confluence of the bay, triggering panic among its passengers.

As waves were pounding the trawler, its passengers tried to balance it by moving to both sides.

But it caused the vessel to shake more and it finally capsized.

According to an earlier report, two bodies were recovered after the trawler sank.