The death toll from the sinking of a ferry packed with visitors to a Hindu temple in northern Bangladesh has risen to 40, with many passengers still missing a day after the disaster.
Some residents and relatives of the missing gathered on the bank of the river where the ferry sank, while rescuers continued to search for more bodies.
Johor Islam, director of the administration of Panchagarh province, where the accident occurred, said that the bodies recovered so far include 22 bodies of women and 11 children.
"The divers are looking for more bodies, because some are still missing," he added.
He pointed out that the ferry was carrying Hindu visitors to one of the temples on the occasion of the "Mahalaya", during which Hindus make offerings in sympathy for the souls of the departed from their ancestors.
Johor al-Islam said a five-member committee is investigating the accident, but initial reports indicate that the ferry was running nearly 3 times its capacity.
The local official confirmed that the authorities were preparing a list of the missing based on the information provided by relatives, while passengers said that more than 70 people were on the ferry.
Local police said some of the passengers swam ashore or were rescued.
It is noteworthy that hundreds of people die every year in ferry accidents in Bangladesh, a low-lying country located in southern Asia and dotted with waterways, but safety standards are modest.