VIDEO: Tragedy in Dhaka as containership sinks passenger ferry

At least five people are dead and dozens more are missing after a bulk carrier crashed into a small ferry in a river near Bangladesh’s capital yesterday (21Mar22).

WARNING: this footage contains harrowing, graphic content.

Police say nearly two dozen people managed to swim ashore after the MV Ruposhi-9 inland cargo carrier ran over the MV Afsaruddin, southeast of Dhaka.

According to NDTV the ferry was carrying more than 60 passengers, 22 of whom safely swum ashore. But, reports Aljazeera, Fire Service official Rozina Akhter says they cannot determine how many were on board the ferry.

Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, with experts blaming poor maintenance, lax safety standards and overcrowding. Official records, says Aljazeera, show more than 3,600 people died and nearly 500 went missing in more than 550 accidents on waterways in Bangladesh between 1991 and 2020.

WARNING: this footage contains harrowing, graphic content.