At least nine people were missing and hundred injured in a head-on collision between two river ferries in southern Bangladesh Tuesday, officials said.

The accident happened as the ferries, crowded with Muslim holidaymakers, were crossing the river Lohalia in the southern coastal district of Patuakhali.

Local rescue workers said the nine missing were feared drowned in the swirling water and strong winds.

Many of the injured have been hospitalized, river transport officials said.

Survivors said both ferries smashed together in the pre-dawn collision, which occurred when most travelers were asleep.

Local fire brigade sources said the ferries were operating without sea-worthiness certificates and navigational lights.

One ferry was transporting more than 60 people from Dhaka to coastal towns about 290 kilometres south of the capital.