Fifty missing in Bangladesh ferry sinking--police

DHAKA, Feb 27 (Reuters) At least 50 people were missing after a ferry with some 150 aboard sank today in a river in southern Bangladesh, police said.

Rescuers rushed to the scene, they said.

''The mishap occurred when the overloaded boat capsized on the Kirtankhola river in fair weather,'' said a police officer at Barisal town, 300 km from the capital, Dhaka.

The single-decker ferry listed on one side and sank immediately, the officer said. Some 100 people travelling on the roof swam to safety, but the fate of about 50 others sitting on the deck was not immediately known.

Hundreds die in ferry mishaps in Bangladesh every year, mostly due to lack of safety measures and equipment.

REUTERS CH SP1133