32 dead in Bangladesh ferry fire: Police

The incident happened early in the morning near the southern rural town of Jhakakathi, 250 kilometres (160 miles) south of the capital Dhaka.

At least 32 people died on Friday when a packed ferry caught fire in southern Bangladesh, police said.

The accident was the latest in a string of similar incidents in the low-lying delta country criss-crossed by rivers.

"The three-storey Obhijan 10 caught fire mid-river. We have recovered 32 bodies. The death toll may rise. Most died from the fire and a few by drowning after they jumped into the river," local police chief Moinul Islam told AFP.

The incident happened early in the morning near the southern rural town of Jhakakathi, 250 kilometres (160 miles) south of the capital Dhaka.

The accident was the latest in a string of similar incidents in the low-lying delta country criss-crossed by rivers.

Experts in the South Asian country of 170 million people blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding.