Dhaka - Rescue workers Tuesday recovered 21 bodies from river Meghna in southern Bangladesh after a boat with 50 passengers on board capsized after a collision with a second vessel, police said.

At least 25 people, mostly day labourers, went missing after the accident, which occurred on Monday. Others managed to swim ashore after the small cargo boat overturned in the middle of the river after colliding with another vessel.

Divers of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authorities (BIWTA) pulled up the bodies from inside a cabin of the sunken boat, an official of the state-run BIWTA said. They spotted the small boat some 15 metres underwater.

The ill-fated day labourers, who hailed from a northern part of the country, were travelling by the boat in search of employment in southern Chandpur district.

Ferry disaster are frequent in Bangladesh because of poor law enforcement and lack of safety measures maintained by boat operators. (dpa)