At least eight people including an old woman drowned and 20 others injured as a trawler carrying around 70 to 80 passengers sank in the Buriganga River in Fatullah upazila of Narayanganj this afternoon.

The trawler capsized after being hit by a sand-laden vessel at Aliganj in Fatulla around 12:45pm, said Mozammel Haque, an officer of Sadarghat River Fire Station.

The passengers were returning to Sadarghat from a traditional fair in Chandpur's Motlob.

Police said the injured were sent to different local hospitals, while eyewitness claimed that some of the passengers were missing.

On information, police and divers of Pagla Coast Guard and Narayanganj Fire Service started the salvage operation and recovered eight bodies till filing the report around 7:45pm.

Md Momtaj Uddin, deputy director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, told The Daily Star that the capsized trawler was being taken to Pangaon in Keraniganj.

Salvage operation is suspended due to darkness, Momtaj said, adding that the operation will resume tomorrow, if needed, following consultation from high authorities.

The recovered bodies were identified as Rubel, 18, Zakir Hossain, 28, Somir Uddin, 65, Rubel Mia, 30, Sagor Mia, 11, Kajol, 28, Swapon, 16, and Koromjan Bibi, 65. All of them are residents of Lalbagh area in the capital.

Deputy commissioners of Narayanganj and Dhaka have visited the spot in the afternoon.

Tofazzol Hossain, deputy commissioner of Dhaka, has announced that each deceased's family will be given Tk 20,000.