A ferry carrying 400 passengers sank in a storm in southern Bangladesh and most are feared dead, the BBC said on Saturday. The ferry sank late on Friday in the southern coastal district of Chandpur, the BBC Web site said, quoting officials, and only 15 passengers had so far managed to swim ashore. The ferry was traveling to Patuakhali from the capital Dhaka when it was struck by a storm in Chandpur.

A rescue operation was under way.

PHOTO CAPTION

A ferry carrying 400 passengers sank in a storm in southern Bangladesh in the coastal district of Chandpur and most are feared dead, the BBC reported May 3, 2002. (Reuters Graphic)