DHAKA, Bangladesh: Rescuers on Wednesday recovered another six bodies from a ferry that capsized days ago in southern Bangladesh, raising the total death toll to 83, a police official said.
Divers found the bodies from the hull of the M.V. Coco during high tide on Wednesday as two salvage vessels were still struggling to tow it to the bank of the Tetulia River, where the overcrowded triple-deck ferry capsized late Friday in Bhola district, said police official Mohammad Sultan. The area is 65 miles (104 kilometers) south of the capital, Dhaka.
The official said the bodies were of two babies, three men and one woman.
The ferry was packed with hundreds of travelers leaving Dhaka to head home for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha when it tilted and went down after reportedly hitting a river shoal late Friday. As of Monday, rescuers had found 77 bodies.
Sultan said Wednesday they were searching for dozens of people still listed as missing.
Authorities would not give a list of missing people, and there were no passenger lists, so it was unclear how many people were aboard. But local media reports have said that it was overloaded with not less than 1,500 people.
Meanwhile, the state-run Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authorities have suspended three of its officials on charges of negligence in overseeing the rescue operation.
