DHAKA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 8 people died and dozens of others went missing when a boat capsized in Bangladesh on Saturday.
The survivors were quoted as saying that the boat with about 25 to 30 passengers on board capsized in Arial Kha River in Narsingdi district near capital Dhaka on Saturday afternoon after it was caught in storm.
Eight bodies of the victims have so far been recovered by the locals, a Narsingdi Police official said who did not like to be named.
Hundreds of relatives of the ill-fated passengers are awaiting at the accident site on adjoining river banks in the quest for missing persons.
They thronged to the river shore and wailed for the bodies of their near and dear ones.
Divers from Fire Brigade and Civil Defence, Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard have been struggling to locate the sunken boat.
Many sunken ferry victims are believed to be trapped below deck.
Ferry and boat disasters are common in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by about 250 rivers. Ferry is still a key means of transport in Bangladesh. Scores of people are killed each year in ferry disasters.
