Kishoreganj, May 13:

A crowded ferry sank during a tropical storm in northern Bangladesh, killing over 42 people and leaving over 40 missing, officials said today.

The death toll from the accident late yesterday could rise because some of those missing were feared trapped inside the sunken ferry, said local government administrator Sultan Ahmed. Salvage workers were trying to raise the wreckage of the ferry, which was submerged under nine meters of muddy water.