Bangladesh Ferry Sinking Toll Rises to 105

Rescue workers and divers in Bangladesh on Wednesday pulled dozens of bodies from the wreckage of a ferry that sank after being hit by an oil barge, as the death toll rose to 105.

The packed Shariatpur 1 vessel, carrying about 200 passengers, capsized in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a collision with the barge in the Meghna river, 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka.

Rescue teams successfully raised the ferry and brought it to shore after nearly two days of efforts, head of search operation navy commander Gulzar Hossain said.

"The death toll is now 105," he told Agence France Presse. "Divers searched inside the cabins and the lower deck and found dozens of bodies. We're combing through every pocket inside the ferry, but most of the missing have been accounted for."

"Our teams are also scouring the river bed downstream to see whether any bodies have been washed away."

Hundreds of distraught relatives gathered at the river's edge for the second day as the dead were laid in lines on the bank for identification.

"Here is my mother, here is mother," a ten-year-old boy cried out and rushed into the water as a diver brought out one burqa-clad woman.

The double-decker ferry plunged 70-feet (20-metres) to the bottom of the river after being hit by the barge at about 2:30 am.

The exact number of people on board was uncertain as passenger lists are often not maintained properly in Bangladesh and many travellers buy tickets on board.

Samsuddoha Khondker, chairman of the Inland Water Transport Authority, said an investigation was under way and that early reports suggested the ship, built in 1991, sank rapidly after it was hit.

Dozens of passengers swam to safety while others were rescued by a passing ferry.