(Adds ferry salvaged)

DHAKA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A packed ferry sank in a Bangladeshi river on Monday after a collision with a cargo vessel, killing at least 15 people, officials said.

A further 35 people were missing after the small vessel, crowded with passengers heading home for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival, sank in the Meghna river, about 40 km (25 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka.

The 15 dead, including six women and four children, were pulled from the river, an official said.

"A rescue ship has salvaged the sunken ferry from about 60 feet (20 metres) under water, and no more bodies were found in the ferry," Mothahar Hossain, a director of Bangladesh Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) said.

"The rescue and salvage operations are over."

Many people in boats continued to scour the river while hundreds of mourning villagers crowded the banks searching for the missing, witnesses said.

"The ferry M.V. Baba Shahparan sank immediately after the collision," another official of BIWTA said.

Witnesses said the ferry was carrying more than 100 people and half of them were either rescued or swam to safety.

Ferry disasters are common in Bangladesh because of overloading, poor maintenance and lack of safety equipment.

AlertNet news is provided by

Delicio.us  |   Digg  |   NewsVine  |   Reddit