26 killed in boat collision in central Bangladesh

Police in Bangladesh said at least 26 people were killed and several others missing on Saturday evening after a crowded speedboat collided with a sand-laden tanker and sank into the giant Padma River.

According to Reuters, Miraj Hossain, a senior police official in the central Madaripur district where the incident occurred, said rescuers had found 26 bodies and some may still missing.

Five people were rescued and taken to hospital, he said.

Hundreds of people die each year in ferry accidents in Bangladesh, a nation with extensive inland waterways and lax safety standards

E.M