Five bodies were recovered yesterday after a boat capsized at Sandwip Channel of Chittagong on Sunday night with at least 50 people.

The dead were identified as Sachindra Jaladash, 55, Boroda Jaladash, 60, Md Salauddin, 30, and Hafez Amin Rasul, 45, of Sandwip, and Abdul Haque, 60, of Noakhali's Senbagh, said Sandwip administration officials.

The body of Hafez was recovered by boatmen near Noakhali's Hatia, some 40km away from the spot where the boat sunk. The rest were found by Bangladesh Coast Guard in the channel.

Sandwip Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Golam Zakaria said at least 18 people were still missing while 26 swam ashore or were rescued by locals.

The boat capsized at around 8:00pm Sunday at Guptachhar area due to rough weather and tidal waves of the sea. Traffic on channel was suspended since the capsize, said Shamsul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sandwip Police Station.

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard and teams of Special Warfare Diving and Salvage (SWADS) with two Bangladesh Navy ships were searching for the missing yesterday, said a text sent by the Navy.

The OC added that the recovered bodies were handed over to the families.

A probe committee headed by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Sandwip was formed to find the reasons for the sinking, said Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Shamsul Arefin.