'Dangerous practices caused Assam boat accident'

Nick Bramley, chairperson of the inland navigation section of International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), said in a statement: "This disaster is sadly only the latest in a long series of ferry tragedies in Asia and Africa."

A global workers association has blamed poor training, dangerous working practices and inadequate regulation for the deadly ferry accident in Assam. Seventy-one bodies were recovered so far and around 180 more are missing and believed to be dead.

Nick Bramley, chairperson of the inland navigation section of International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), said in a statement: "This disaster is sadly only the latest in a long series of ferry tragedies in Asia and Africa."

"Everything points to poor training, dangerous working practices, inadequate regulation and near non-existent enforcement as being the root causes for this and similar losses of life," he said in a statement on Thursday.

"We urge the establishment of modern standards of training and certification for crew members, of effective safety standards for vessels and their crews and of competent enforcement regimes both nationally and internationally," he added.

On Thursday, eight more bodies were fished out from the river, taking the number of bodies recovered to 71 in Monday's ferry disaster in Assam's Dhubri district.

The ferry, which was carrying more than 350 passengers, was hit by a storm near Madattari ghat under Fakirganj police station in Dhubri district and capsized. Only 80 people could be rescued by the local people.

The search operation is being jointly carried out by the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF), the Border Security Force and the Army.