Many of the bodies that have been recovered so far are those of passengers who were trapped inside the ferries. Rescue operations are continuing in the hope of finding passengers who managed to escape. Police divers and volunteers in small private boats are reported to be searching for possible survivors. A government salvage ship has been sent from Dhaka to help retrieve the wreckage of one of the vessels, according to a river transport official. The Director General of the Shipping Department, Abdul Khaleq, told the BBC an enquiry had been launched to find out whether the ferries were overloaded, which is common in Bangladesh.
Many boats lack basic safety equipment such as as life-buoys and jackets.
Survivors Boats are an important means of transport in Bangladesh much of which is a delta, criss-crossed by dozens of rivers but with few good roads. Many ferries are unlicensed. Their owners often ignore storm warnings and cram in far more passengers than the boats are designed to carry. Hundreds of people die each year in ferry accidents. Rivers are particularly treacherous at the onset of the monsoon rains and violent squalls can blow up quickly.