Five dead, 100 missing as Bangladesh ferry sinks

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Police in Bangladesh say at least five people have been killed and more than 100 are missing after a ferry sank in the southeast of the country.

The boat went down in rough waters between the island of Sandwip in the Bay of Bengal and the Bangladeshi mainland.

The ferry was believed to have been carrying some 200 passengers when the accident occurred.

"Five bodies including two women have been recovered so far, but nearly 100 others are still missing and may have drowned," a police official told Reuters.

The official added that a search for the missing has begun.

The cause of the sinking is not known.

Ferry accidents are frequent in Bangladesh with many vessels carrying far more passengers than they were designed to hold.

In the last major marine accident to hit the country in December last year 88 people died when two ferries collided in the southern district of Chandpur.