DHAKA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- At least four bodies were retrieved after a ferry capsized in the Shitalakkhya river in Narayanganj on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Sunday afternoon, a local police official said.
Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Narayanganj River Police, told journalists that "the bodies of three women and a man have so far been retrieved."
He said the ferry carrying at least 25 passengers sank in the river after it was hit by a cargo vessel at around 2:15 p.m. local time.
Some of the passengers were able to swim ashore after the incident, but some are still missing, said Babu Lal Baidya, deputy director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) in Narayanganj, the boat's destination.
The official feared the death toll would rise, as more bodies are likely to be retrieved with the search and rescue operation still underway. ■