By Sumi Khan

Dhaka, Apr 6 (IANS): Of the 30 bodies found after a ferry capsized in the Shitalakkhya river in Bangladesh's Narayanganj district, two corpses of a woman and her one-year-old daughter were discovered embraced in a tight hug.

"I was struggling to retrieve one of the bodies, but finally found that two corpses were holding each other tight. So, I did not separate them," a local diver, Mominul, said.

The diver added that he was left in utter shock following the discovery.

"What gave me goosebumps after all this is that we moved all the recovered bodies, but the woman and her daughter remained together," he added.

The victims were identified as Bithi Akter, 20, and her daughter Arifa Akter. The woman hailed from Char Masura in Munshiganj.

According to Bithi's grandmother Minu Begum, the two were returning home after visiting a doctor in Narayanganj.

The overcrowded ferry, ML Sabit Al Hasan, carrying some 50 passengers onboard, capsized after colliding with the SKL-3 cargo ship at around 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Around 20 passengers managed to swim to safety following the capsize.

Two separate probe bodies have been formed by the Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner and the Bangladesh Inland and Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to probe the accident.

As of Monday, 30 bodies have been discovered, while nine remain unaccounted for.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Nahida Barik handed over the bodies to their families.

BIWTA Chairman Golam Maula Sadeque told IANS that divers from the local fire service and the Coast Guard managed to retrieve the ferry with the help of a salvage ship.

Police said the cargo ship has not been seized till now.