(VOVworld) – A Bangladeshi ferry, carrying hundreds of passengers, capsized on the Meghna River, 50 kilometers from Dhaka, Thursday in bad weather.

Hundreds of local residents gathered on the bank of the river to wait for news of the missing passengers

At least 9 bodies were recovered but hundreds are still missing. Local authorities say the number of passengers is not yet confirmed, but is possibly 200 to 350. The Bangladeshi navy and coast guard have sent one rescue vessel to the site and another vessel from Dhaka is on the way. Ferry accidents are common on Bangladesh's vast river network and scores of people die this way every year. Bad weather, poor maintenance, and overloading are the usual causes of such the incidents. 150 bodies were recovered after an overloaded ferry carrying with some 200 passengers sank in the Meghna River in 2012.