Bangladesh River Ferry Sinks, At Least 31 Dead

A Bangladesh river ferry sunk Sunday, leaving 31 people dead and an unkown number of people missing. It isn’t yet clear how many passengers were on board when the ship sank, reports to the Associated Press (via the Tampa Tribune).

The ship was hit by a cargo vessel at the Daulatdia-Paturia crossing on the Padma River. The site is 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital.

The reason that officials do not know how many passengers were on board the ship is that it isn’t usual for Bangladesh ships to maintain formal passenger lists. A passenger that survived, though, said that many were trapped inside the boat when it sank.

“We don’t have a clear picture about how many were exactly in the ferry when it sank,” Mia said. “But I think many have survived.”