16 Dec

At least seven people who were attending a wedding, including the bride, were killed after their boat capsized in a river in Bangladesh's Noakhali district, some 158 km southeast of capital Dhaka, police said.

The boat capsized in Meghna river on Tuesday at about 1:00 p.m. local time.

"Seven bodies have so far been recovered," Noakhali's Hatia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abul Khayer told Xinhua.

He said locals retrieved the bodies including the bride.

According to the official, there were some 50 people on the boat when the disaster happened and some of them including the groom survived by swimming to the shore.

He said it remained unknown as to how many passengers exactly managed to swim ashore after the boat capsized.

According to the official, the boat sank while heading to the groom's house.

The official feared the death toll will rise, as more bodies are likely to be retrieved with the search and rescue operation still underway.

Ferry and boat disasters are common in Bangladesh. Boat and ferry are a key means of transport in the country, and many of them are often overcrowded.

xinhua