Police said the boat that sailed from Fatua village with 23 passengers aboard sank in the haor as it was caught in a violent storm in the evening. All but nine passengers swam ashore.

Police with the help of local people recovered the bodies of the victims. They are Hosneara, 25, Kamrunnahar, 7, Sohat, 5, Joly, 3, Pervin, 30, Momata, 45, Saleha, 40, Josna, 25, and an unidentified 65-year-old woman.

They were returning home after attending a feast at Fatua village.

State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, who is also in-charge of the district, expressed deep shock at the death of the nine boat passengers.