Divers have discovered more remains after a boat capsized in a river in Bangladesh on Sunday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 50.
On its way back after a Hindu religious event, the engine-driven boat carrying more than 80 passengers capsized on the Korotoya river in the northern Panchagarh district.
According to Dipankar Roy, a district administration officer in charge of the accident inquiry, the number of fatalities has increased as a result of the divers discovering more bodies in the river after the search operation started on Monday morning.
According to him, seven of the victims were discovered in the nearby district of Dinajpur's Atrai river, some 20 kilometres from the scene of the tragedy.
According to a temporary control room put up locally to distribute information about the disaster, 22 women and 12 children are now confirmed to be among the deceased.
Local administration official Zahurul lslam said that eight dead bodies were discovered in various locations of the river on Monday by divers from the Fire Service and Civil Defense department.
He claimed that there were still dozens of individuals missing and that the search effort will go on.
In Bangladesh, fatal boating accidents happen often. Poor safety precautions and slack enforcement of safety standards are to fault, according to experts.
Sujoy Kumar, a local police officer, said that locals had informed him that the boat was overloaded when it capsized.
A cell phone video that was published by a private broadcaster, Sonomy television, showed how the overloaded ship abruptly sunk, leaving the passengers in the middle of the river.