Kolkata: At least 50 Muslim pilgrims drowned when an overcrowded ferry sank in eastern India, officials said Monday, adding that more bodies may have been washed away or still be in the vessel.
The boat capsized on Saturday in a fast-flowing river in the state of West Bengal, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Kolkata.
"We have found 30 bodies during the day, taking the total dead to 50," state minister Kanti Ganguly told AFP. "We fear other bodies are under the boat.
"The search operation had to be suspended this afternoon as the weather was bad, but will be resumed in the morning."
Two bodies found on Monday were 20 kilometres from the accident.
The boat was badly overcrowded as it crossed the Muriganga river after a Muslim religious event, but the exact number of people on board was unknown.
"I only remember a big tide and then everything was blank. I had my son sitting beside me. But right now I don't know where he is," Ajmal Sheikh, 23, told the IANS news agency.
Navy vessels, a helicopter and fishermen have been involved in searching the area, which is in a tidal part of the Sundarbans mangrove forest near the Bay of Bengal.
Hundreds of angry relatives on Sunday staged a demonstration on a jetty close to where the tragedy took place, protesting that the rescue operation had been too slow.
The boat, which had capacity for only 60 people, sank after hitting a sandbank in rough conditions. Some television news channels reported that more than 150 people were on board.
Fishermen plucked scores of passengers from the water after the accident while others managed to swim to safety, police said.
Boat accidents are common in the South Asian subcontinent due to lax safety standards and overloading.
A similar ferry sinking occurred in the same river in September, leaving two dozen people dead.
