Bangladesh ferry sinks, 18 dead and 70 missing

DHAKA, Monday (Reuters) A twin-deck river ferry carrying more than 100 passengers sank during a storm in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 18 people with more than 70 missing and feared drowned, authorities said on Monday.

Rescuers pulled eight more bodies from the river on Monday, after 10 had been recovered on Sunday, officials said.

Strong currents and high winds were hampering rescue efforts after the M.V. Prince of Patuakhali went down in the choppy Tentulia river at Galachipa, 350 km (220 miles) south of the capital Dhaka, on Sunday.

Hundreds of grieving people crowded the river bank on Monday, searching for loved ones, as a salvage ship with rescue divers arrived at the scene.