Dhaka: The number of bodies recovered from the Meghna river after June 8 ferry disaster rose to 70 with the recovery of 42 more bodies even as the sunken vessel remained untraced after three days of the tragedy.

Strong currents and inclement weather disrupted salvage work today too as hundred of relatives and well wishers flocked to river banks looking for bodies of their loved ones.

According to available information, about three hundred people from the ill-fated three tier ferry, Nasreen-I, have been rescued while around five hundred were buried in the river in the biggest riverine tragedy in Bangladesh's history.

Rescue workers have given up hope for the people left missing in the tragedy.

Three salvage vessels including one from Bangladesh Navy were pressed into the operation but the ferry could not be found. A high-tech Navy rescue ship which reached Chandpur on June 11 will begin salvage work from June 12, a report said.

Meanwhile Bangladesh's Shipping Minister Colonel (retd) Akbar Hossain, now in Chandpur supervising salvage work, has ordered salvaging of the sunken vessel in the next 48 hours even as doubts are being expressed that it may never be lifted because of technical problems and lack of necessary equipment.

Since a number of vessels have sunk in the vicinity, detection by sonar sound could be misleading, experts said.

PTI