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Storms Sink Ships Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh. The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21. Hundreds more are missing or feared dead. The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhakfi as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country. The government has since banned all ferries and other boats from traveling at night during the April-May stormy season. One of the ferries, MV Mitali, was carrying far more people than it was supposed to. About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300, police said. The second ferry carried about 100 passengers. "The number of deaths is certain to rise. "said an official in charge of the rescue work. "No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived. " Ferries in Bangladesh don't always keep passenger lists, making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board. Besides the ferry accidents, at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes, falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats. Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh, as are boating accidents. Ferry disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people. Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures, too many passengers in boats and not enough checks on weather conditions. Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh. It is a country covered by about 230 rivers. Some 20,000 ferries use the nation's waterways every year, a. And many of them are dangerously overcrowded. Since 1977, more than 3,000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents. |