Death toll from Bangladesh speedboat accident rises to at least 26

DHAKA - A speedboat carrying dozens of passengers collided with a sand-laden bulkhead and sank on Monday in Bangladesh's Padma river in Madaripur district, leaving at least 26 people dead and a few missing, a senior police official said.

Abdul Hannan, the district's additional police chief, told Xinhua that "26 bodies have so far been found."

He said most of the bodies were found inside the sunken speedboat after it was dragged to the bank.

A search is underway for the missing, he added.

According to the official, some of the passengers managed to swim ashore after the accident that occurred at around 6:00 am local time.

The speedboat was heading to Madaripur's Shibchar area from Munshiganj on the outskirts of Dhaka and collided with the sand carrier in the river, said the official.

Five passengers rescued alive initially have been rushed to a local hospital for treatment, he said.

"We've come to know that the speedboat was carrying about 40-50 passengers," he said.

He could not give immediately the exact number of missing passengers.