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Rescue workers searched on Monday for about 100 people still missing after an overloaded passenger ferry capsized in strong winds and high waves in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 22 people, an official and witnesses said.
The double-deck ferry capsized and sank Sunday in the mouth of the Bura Gauranga River after a strong wind struck it in Patuakhali district, 152 km south of the capital, Dhaka, the area's chief administrator, Mejbah Uddin, told The Associated Press. "The boat just turned on its side and sank after it was hit by a gust of wind and high waves," said Shankar Lal Das, a survivor. Das was among nearly 50 passengers who either swam ashore or were rescued by fishing boats. Searchers recovered the bodies of 22 people, including four children, Uddin said. A Hundreds of relatives of the dead or missing thronged to a makeshift morgue on the riverbank to identify the bodies, he said. The death toll could be higher as several bodies were taken away by relatives who searched the vast river in wooden fishing boats. More bodies were also feared trapped inside the sunken ferry, Uddin said. The ferry, the MV Prince of Patuakhali, was carrying more than 150 passengers - twice its capacity - toward Char Montaj from the coastal town of Patuakhali, he said. The accident occurred close to the sea in Golapchipa, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Patuakhali. salvage ship was on its way to the find the boat, but strong currents were interfering with the rescue operation, he said.