DHAKA, Feb. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- At least one dozen people were drowned, over 100 injured and more are missing as two ferries collided in southern Bangladesh earlier Thursday.

    The tragedy happened when the launches MV Jawa Asha and MV Sattar collided head-on due to poor visibility on Meghna river caused by dense fog in Hijla upazila, some 257 km south of the capital Dhaka.

    "We have picked up 12 bodies and rescued 90 injured passengers,but many could be dead or trapped inside the vessels," a police officer told Xinhua

    Some eyewitnesses on the spot, however, said at least 30 people died and 150 others were missing.

    Police and local reporters said each vessel was carrying about 500 people, but the exact number of passengers on board could not be known as the operators never keep lists of passengers.

    The ferries were packed with people bound for their work place after enjoying the Muslim's largest festival Eid-ul-Adha with their families.

    Since 1977, some 260 major ferry accidents have claimed the lives of over 3,000 people in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by about 250 rivers. Accidents were caused mainly by negligence of safety regulations, such as overcrowding and operation without proper license.

    Among some 20,000 ferries plying the many rivers and coastal rivers, only about 8,000 are registered and some 800 hold certificates, said shipping official source.

    The government in 2003 enforced a ban on the operation of hundreds of defective ferries, but the decision was overturned after a three-day wildcat strike by ferry operators. Enditem ¡¡