Multiple deaths as boat sinks in central Bangladesh

At least eight bodies have been recovered, including children and women, after a bulkhead hit a passenger boat in the Bangladeshi central district of Munshiganj.

"We resumed the rescue operation on Sunday morning to search for 5 missing passengers as claimed by the locals and their families," Louhajung Fire Service Station officer Mohammad Abdul Malek said.

He said teams recovered the bodies and rescued 34 others.

The engine-run boat carrying 46 passengers sank late on Saturday in a part of the mighty Padma River near Tongibari town. Passengers were returning from a picnic, according to officials.

Two of the dead are male children, in addition to two women and four children, according to Malek.

The Bangladesh Navy joined rescue operations, according to the Inter-Services Public Relation Directorate (ISPR).

Police seized the bulkhead but the driver and others onboard are on the run. A five-member probe body has been formed to look into the incident, according to Munshiganj district police and administration.