Fakhrul Islam, the chief engineer of the department, said that the ferry’s operating license had expired in April and that it was operating in violation of safety limits, which forbade it from carrying more than the 85-passenger maximum. It was also sailing in spite of a warning of severe weather, he said.

Mr. Siddique said the boat was only about 10 minutes from its destination when it capsized.

Officials said that the craft had sunk to the bottom of the river, around 80 feet below the surface, and that some passengers had managed to swim to shore.

An official with the Inland Water Transport Authority, Mohammad Hossain, said the disaster took place because the vessel was overloaded and continued operating in bad weather, trying to cross the river at high tide.

Bangladesh’s land mass is divided by a huge network of rivers, and ferries are used to transport heavy loads of cargo below decks crowded with passengers. Accidents are common, often leading to confusion because ferry operators do not keep passenger lists.