Police recovered the decomposed bodies floating in the river and continued their search boarding country boats as more than 130 passengers of the launch -- MV Raipura-- were still missing and feared drowned.

In Thursday's trawler sinking in Bhola, 10 people drowned and at least 20 went missing as the vessel with around 100 people on board capsized in the Meghna river near Char Maheshkhali in stormy weather. About 70 of them swam ashore, our correspondent reports from Barisal.

It was the third river vessel tragedy in the country only in five days with the second occurring in Patuakhali on Sunday.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority's (BIWTA) rescue team yesterday continued its operation in the Jamuna with the decades-old salvage vessel M V Rustam without success. Twenty-two divers taking part in the operation could not reach the sunken launch due to heavy currents in the river, BIWTA officials said.

"The rescue wire snapped for the second time during a storm at noon. Our efforts to hook the sunken launch to lift it failed repeatedly as our divers were unable to go deep in the water due to strong currents," said Reaz Ahsan Khandakar, chairman of the BIWTA.

A buoy marking the accident spot was also swept away by heavy currents. Rescuers were trying to locate the vessel until evening.

M V Raipura went down on Tuesday night with more than 200 passengers on board and about 20 of them swam ashore. It is lying at least 30 feet under water.

Our Manikganj correspondent reports that people present near the accident spot said their hopes for any more survivors have faded. Hundreds of anxious relatives of the missing still crowded the riverbank for their loved ones, alive or dead. Many of them blamed the authorities for their failure to salvage the launch even three days into the accident.

"I am staying at the salvage ship. As the rescue operation is taking time, they (victims' relatives) could be impatient," said Reaz Ahsan.

He however hoped they would be able to salvage the vessel by tomorrow if the current in the river is weaker than today's.

In Bhola, BIWTA was yet to go for rescue operation for the sunken trawler yesterday. The local administration was carrying out a search using nets and ropes.

"We did not get any help from the BIWTA and we are trying to do whatever we can," said Mozammel Hossain, officer-in-charge of Char Tazmuddin Police Station.

The Aricha tragedy occurred only three days after a twin-decker -- MV Prince of Patuakhali-- capsized in a storm in the Bura Gouranga river in Patuakhali district.

Our Barisal correspondent said that the chairman of Char Kazalia Union Parishad, where the launch tragedy took place, listed 88 people dead and 75 still missing.