Ferry Sinks in Bangladesh, 150 Missing Persons

Dhaka, A ferry carrying around 200 passengers sank off the coast of Bangladesh on Tuesday morning local time. At least 150 people lost in the incident.

According to local police, so far only 35 people are found alive. In the incident, the ship was hit by a Shariatpur bertingat another ship in the midst of the waters of the River Meghna, in the southeast of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

"About 35 ferry passengers rescued by another. However, more than 150 passengers still missing," said local police chief Shahidul Islam told AFP on Tuesday (03/13/2012).

Currently a rescue ship has been at the site to find a ferry that sank the ship. The coast guard officers, firefighters and police officers rushed to the scene after the accident occurred at about 2:30 o'clock in the morning local time.

One of the passengers who survived, Dulal, told local media that eight people lost family members in the accident. According to him, most of the passengers were still asleep when the accident occurred.

Ferry boats are the main form of transportation in remote areas of Bangladesh. Accidents often occur because of lack of safety standards and overloaded boats.

In the past April 2011, 32 people were killed after a passenger ship sank in the Meghna River after colliding with a cargo ship