At least 33 people were killed and dozens more were feared dead after a Bangladeshi ferry crammed with over 1,000 people going home to celebrate a Muslim holiday capsized, an official said Saturday.

"We have recovered 33 bodies. We believe dozens more people were trapped in cabins and in the hold under the water. We fear they have died," local police chief Zakir Hossain told AFP in Nazirpur, 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of Dhaka.

The dead included 17 children and 10 women, he said.

Officials were uncertain how many people were missing as there are no passenger lists for Bangladeshi ferries, but said it could be dozens.

The victims were travelling home to mark Eid al-Adha, the second most important holiday on the Muslim calendar.

The accident occurred Friday around midnight as the MV Coco-4, one of the country's largest inland vessels, was approaching the dock on Bhola island.

The ferry had more than 1,000 passengers aboard when it started taking on water, police said. Its official capacity was 665 people.

Three killed as cargo plane crashes in China: state media
Beijing (AFP) Nov 28, 2009 –

A cargo plane carrying seven crew crashed during take off in Shanghai on Saturday, killing three, state media reported.

The accident happened at 7:40 am (1140 GMT) as the Zimbabwe-registered MD-11 aircraft was attempting to leave Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Xinhua news agency reported.

Four crew members were injured — one seriously — in the crash, state-run television reported, without providing details on their injuries.

All seven crew members were foreigners. The charter plane was heading to Kyrgyzstan, state television said.

Three of the four injured have been taken to a local hospital for treatment, it said.

The aircraft caught fire after crashing and set fire to a nearby storage facility at the airport, the television report said.

Authorities have closed one runway, delaying 50 flights serving the airport, it said.

Television footage showed billowing thick smoke at the scene and police blocking access.

Further details were not provided and airport authorities could not be reached for comment.

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