The 1986 Bangladesh MV Shamia ferry incident refers to one of the worst maritime disasters in human history that occurred on 25 May 1986 on the Meghna River in Bangladesh, killing 600 passengers. The incident occurred when the overloaded MV Shamia, a two-decker merchant ship ferry, sank while carrying about 1,000 - 1,500 people from Bhola to Dhaka during stormy weather conditions. Initial reports cited between 40 and 240 dead with 500 missing.