Guwahati: In Bangladesh’s northern Panchagarh district, a boat capsized, killing at least 20 people.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, at least 30 individuals are still missing, and the death toll could rise.
Jahirul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Panchagarh, said that the event was reported on Sunday afternoon from the Aowlia Ghat in Marea Union.
Thousands of people gathered on the banks of the river to observe the search operations while a team of divers from Dhaka searched the river for additional dead.
Bangladesh has a high rate of boat accidents because of low safety regulations and overloading.
Bangladesh is crisscrossed by 230 rivers since it is located on the lower course of two powerful rivers, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
Notably, a passenger ferry struck a cargo ship in December of last year, causing it to sink, and about 37 people perished.
When a triple-decker boat overcrowded with passengers collapsed off Bhola Island in the country’s south in November, at least 85 people killed.
A week later, a different boat capsized, killing 46 people. Numerous smaller boat accidents in Bangladesh have resulted in the deaths of dozens of individuals so far this year.
Millions of Bangladeshis depend on boats and ferries to get to the nation’s capital or its major cities.