Dozens missing as ferry sinks in Bangladesh![]() February 8, 2013 - 10:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A ferry carrying more than 50 people sank on Bangladesh's giant Meghna River on Friday, Feb 8 after colliding with a sand barge and dozens were missing, officials said, according to Reuters. About half the passengers managed to swim ashore and a search had been launched, said Mohammad Saiful Hassan Badal, administrator of Munshiganj district, where the accident happened. The Meghna River is one of three rivers that form the Ganges Delta. Survivors said the ferry was carrying around 100 people. District officials said it was not overloaded. Unregulated and overcrowded ferries often run in to trouble on low-lying Bangladesh's extensive network of rivers. Hundreds of people are killed in accidents every year despite government vows to crack down on unlicensed operators. Partner news Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead. An Islamist insurgency, once confined largely to the republic of Chechnya, has spread across the North Caucasus in recent years. Earlier, at least five Azerbaijan soldiers were killed and six seriously injured when their vehicle rammed into a tree and overturned. Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes. Partner news |