At least 12 people have died after a ferry capsized on a river in Bangladesh. Rescuers have reported seeing more bodies inside the wreck of the vessel near Dhaka, which had 200 passengers on board.

40 people managed to swim ashore during stormy conditions, according to local police.

"There was a sudden storm and we requested the boat-swain to anchor at the river side but he ignored us...and all on a sudden the ferry capsized within a few seconds" said Abdur Rahmann, who managed to swim to safety.

The vessel was travelling in a river near the capital Dhaka in the stormy conditions when the accident occurred at 3:30pm local time (10:30am Irish time).

The M.V. Miraj-4 ferry was travelling to Shariatpur.

A rescue vessel sent to the scene in Munshiganj district, approximately 50 kilometres south of Dhaka, arrived three hours later.

Firefighters and the coast guard are also involved in the search for survivors.

Police officer Oliur Rahman, who is at the scene, said the dead include women and children.

Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation of 153 million people. The death toll often runs into the hundreds due to overcrowding.