Heavy rain and strong currents halted a search for about 400 people missing and feared dead after an overloaded Bangladeshi ferry capsized.
The triple-decker M.V. Nasreennosedived into the turbulent Meghna river near Chandpur town around midnight on Tuesday while many of its passengers were sleeping after departing from the capital, Dhaka.
About 200 people were rescued by fishing boats or managed to reach the shore, police said.
Navy divers failed to reach the ferry, which is believed to under 60 metres of water and may have been dragged downstream by strong currents.
The number of passengers on the ferry was not known and may never be determined because ferry operators typically do not keep accurate passenger lists.
Ferry accidents kill hundreds of people every year in Bangladesh, a poor country of 130 million people spliced by major river systems. But authorities have been unable to end or reduce the tragedies, which they blame on overcrowding, faulty vessel construction and lax enforcement of safety regulations.
Of the 20,000 ferries plying the many rivers and coastal waters of Bangladesh, only 8,000 are even registered and just 800 have fitness certificates, shipping ministry and inland water transport officials said.