Bangladesh calls off search for capsized ferry
Bangladeshi people gather on the banks of the River Padma where a passenger ferry capsized Monday in Munshiganj district, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO
Dhaka, Bangladesh — Officials in Bangladesh have called off the search for an overloaded ferry that sank a week ago in one of the country’s largest rivers, leaving more than a hundred people dead or missing.
The ferry, the MV Pinak, had a capacity of 85 passengers but was carrying more than 200 people when it capsized last Monday.
Forty-six bodies have been recovered and 61 people remain missing and are presumed dead.
Local chief administrator Saiful Hasan Badal said Monday that the search is being halted after rescuers scoured more than 50 square kilometers (about 20 square miles) of the Padma river but failed to find the vessel. He said bad weather and strong currents had hampered the search.
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