At least 105 people were killed after a double-decker ferry sank in a river in southern Bangladesh yesterday, operation navy commander Gulzar Hossain told reporters, according to AFP. 

The BBC is reporting that the incident happened in the Meghna River, which is in Munshiganj district, about 20 miles south-west of the capital Dhaka. The passenger ferry was traveling to Dhaka from the Shariatpur district.

Local police chief Mohammad Shahabuddin Khan said that 35 people had been rescued from the MV Shariatpur-1, according to the Associated Press.

More from GlobalPost: Promises, pitfalls await investors in Burma’s frontier economy

Although Khan put the number of people on board at 200, the news agency said a survivor told reporters that the number was closer to 300. 

A report from the Telegraph said the ferry hit a cargo vessel at around 2:30 a.m. local time, when most of the passengers were sleeping. According to CBS, the ferry is 70 feet under water.

There are unconfirmed reports that the Shariatpur-1 was hit by a small oil tanker, the BBC said.

Boats are the main form of transport in rural Bangladesh. Accidents are common due to lax safety standards and overloading, according to BBC, citing an accident in April that cost 23 lives, a June 2010 incident that killed another dozen, and a November 2009 capsizing in which 118 people were killed. 

World News Videos by NewsLook