Three killed in Bangladesh ferry accident

Police said most of the passengers managed to swim ashore after the ferry tipped over following a stampede.

At least three people were killed and dozens missing as a Bangladeshi ferry packed with more than 1,000 passengers travelling home to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid-ul Adha tilted and partly sank late Friday, police said.

The accident occurred as the MV Coco-4, one of the country's largest inland vessels, was coming in to a river station on Bhola island, local police chief Zakir Hossain told AFP by phone.

- It was overcrowded with over 1,000 passengers. It tilted and part of it sank due to crowd pressure as it arrived near the Nazirpur river station - he said.

- So far we have recovered three dead bodies. Scores of people who were staying in the cabins remained unaccounted for - he said, adding that firefighters were using gas torches to cut open the cabins.

Police said most of the passengers managed to swim ashore after the ferry tipped over following a stampede.

The ferry set off from the capital Dhaka Friday afternoon with the passengers travelling to their village homes to celebrate the three-day Eid-ul Adha festival, the second largest Muslim celebration.

Boat and ferry accidents due to poor safety standards and overloading are common in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by a network of 230 rivers.