The death toll of Sunday's ferry sinking in the Shitalakkhya River near Bangladesh's capital Dhaka has risen to 26, an official said on Monday.

Ershad Hossain, senior duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Headquarters, said that 21 bodies had been recovered. 

With up to 50 passengers on board, the ferry sank in the Shitalakkhya River in central Bangladesh at around 6 p.m. local time after leaving the industrial city of Narayanganj.

The ferry was packed with passengers rushing to leave Narayanganj after the government confirmed a seven-day lockdown in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19 amid a surge in infections, a local police inspector said.

Shukla Sarker, government administrator of the district of Narayanganj, said that others may have managed to swim to safety on the other side of the river. 

"We don't know how many people are missing," Sarker said. "The fire service divers are here and they are conducting rescue work."

However, as the search continues, local police chief Dipak Saha said rescue efforts were being hampered by a powerful storm that hit after the incident.

(With input from AFP)