Bangladesh ferry sinking death toll rises to 40 - Rescue workers in Bangladesh on Wednesday found eight more bodies after a ferry sunk in a large river and warned scores more may be trapped inside as the death toll hit 40. The packed Shariatpur 1 vessel capsized in the early hours of Tuesday morning after being hit by an oil barge when crossing the Meghna river, 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka.

Efforts to raise the ferry from the river bed to allow for a full search have so far failed, and divers said they had found the eight bodies near the scene at dawn. The double-decker ferry, which had about 200 passengers on board, plunged to the bottom after being hit at about 2.30 am. "The death toll is now 40," local deputy police chief Tariqul Islam told, adding that many people were still missing based on reports from desperate relatives who gathered on the river bank to watch the rescue work. The exact number of people on the ferry was uncertain as manifest lists are seldom maintained properly in Bangladesh and many travellers buy their tickets when on board. Emergency teams hope a second rescue vessel that arrived during the night will enable the ferry to be brought to the surface.