17 killed as Bangla launch capsize

Dhaka, June 8 (UNI) At least 17 people drowned and 20 were missing than a ferry sank into the Bay waters amid rough weather while entering the Kumiraghat channel in southeastern Bangladesh today.

The Sitakundu-bound MV Rifat, sailing from Sandwip with about 70 people, capsized when the riverboat reached near the channel at about 1230 hrs local time, official sources said.

Rescuers recovered 17 bodies, including five of children, till this afternoon as the rescue operation continued.

''Some 20 people were still missing,'' a local source said, adding that about 35 of the passengers managed to swim ashore after the fatal ferry accident.

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