of the British Broadcasting Corporation
By Alastair Lawson
BBC correspondent in Dhaka
Overcrowding leads to frequent ferry disasters in
Bangladesh
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The accident happened during a heavy storm on the Naghchini river, and frantic efforts are under way to find survivors.
The vessel was caught in a sudden storm, which is common at this time of the year, and has now sunk.
It is the second ferry disaster in Bangladesh in a month. At least 70 people drowned in the last incident.
Estimates of the number of people on board the ferry in this latest disaster vary between 170 and 200, and local officials say that while some of those were able to swim to safety others may have been trapped.
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Boats are often overcrowded and lack even the most basic safety procedures.
To make matters worse for the emergency services few boats carry detailed passenger lists and survivors frequently fail to register with the authorities after they have swum to safety.
The government says it is determined to improve safety on thousands of ferries and passenger vessels that ply the inumerable rivers and waterways of Bangladesh.
But so far little concrete action has been taken and ferries remain the only viable form of transport for large numbers of people.
Yet travelling in them is fraught with danger.
There have been more than 250 accidents since the late 1970s and thousands of people have died.
