MUNSHIGANJ — Rescuers have recovered at least 29 bodies a day after a ferry capsized in a river during a storm in central Bangladesh and police estimate at least 100 others were missing, officials said Friday. Exactly how many people were on board wasn't clear because the ferry operators did not maintain a passenger list, a local administrator, Saiful Hasan, said. A salvage ship failed to pull out the ferry as strong currents in the 18-meters-deep water brought huge volumes of sand, which was covering the vessel. Officials said the ferry was apparently overcrowded and its lower deck was loaded with goods, said Mohammad Ali, a director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority. Ali said the death toll could be higher as officials suspected many passengers were trapped in the lower deck when the vessel sank. Sabuj, a passenger who jumped overboard when the ship began to sink, said he was among some 25 people who managed to swim to safety. – AP
