A ferry carrying more than 700 people capsized in southern Bangladesh, and about 600 people were missing and feared dead, rescue officials said on Wednesday. The triple-deck ferry was traveling from Dhaka to the southern Bhola district when it sank late on Tuesday near Chandpur town, 64 km south of Dhaka, said Manzoor-e-Elahi, the area's government administrator. About 150 people either swam to shore or were rescued by local fishermen, he said. Survivors said that the ferry, the MV Nasrin-2, careened when it hit turbulent waters where the Padma, Meghna and Dakatia rivers merge as it approached a ferry terminal. It sank as many passengers were either asleep or preparing to go to bed. Heavy monsoon rains have swollen many rivers in Bangladesh. No bodies have been recovered so far, officials said. The ferry was overcrowded and was loaded with a cargo of rice and vegetables, said one survivor. Among the survivors was also Sujan, a seven-year-old boy. "I held on a small piece of wood," said the boy, whose father is missing. "Please find my father." Rina Begum, 25, was another survivor. "I was sitting on the upper deck with my three-year-old daughter," said Begum, who was rescued by fishermen. "There was a big jolt and the ferry started going down." In April, following protests by boat operators, Bangladesh officials withdrew a ban on night travel by ferries that was instituted after a series of accidents. In return for the lifting of the ban, ferry owners promised not to operate their vessels in inclement weather and to follow safety regulations. Two river ferries went down on April 21 in separate accidents near Dhaka, killing more than 135 people. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Many people are feared dead or missing after a ferry carrying several hundred passengers capsized in a Bangladeshi river. (AFP/File/Shawkat Khan)