Bangladesh salvages sunken ferry, toll rises to 39

DHAKA, Feb 29 (Reuters) - The death toll from a Bangladesh ferry disaster rose to 39 after eight more bodies were recovered from the sunken vessel during a salvage operation on Friday, an officials said.

The ferry carrying more than 100 people sank in the Buriganga river near the Bangladesh capital Dhaka on Thursday when it was hit by a cargo vessel loaded with sand.

A salvage ship pulled the sunken ferry, MV Shourav, from the river bed at dawn on Friday.

Police said at least 10 people were still missing.

"We have retrieved the ferry and have closed the salvage operations," a Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) official said.

It was the first major ferry disaster in Bangladesh since May 2005, when 150 people were killed after a ferry with 200 passengers went down in a river during a storm.

Hundreds of Bangladeshis die in ferry accidents every year, mostly blamed on loading beyond the boats' listed capacity.

(Reporting by Nizam Ahmed; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)