A full day after a passenger ferry with as many as 300 people on board sank in Bangladesh, hundreds of anxious people waited on the bank of the Padma river until late evening as a search for bodies failed to turn up any sign of survivors.

Indeed, the rescuers failed even to trace the sunken ferry, leading to frustration and anger among those awaiting news of loved ones.

The crowds on the riverbank launched an impassioned protest against what they said was the administration’s inept handling of the situation.

Authorities blamed conditions for the slow pace of the rescue.

The rescuers believed that the strong current may have moved some of the bodies a significant distance from the scene of the accident.

Saiful Hassan Badal, chief administrator of Munshiganj district told CNN the ferry had about 300 people on board when it sank, according to witnesses. Nearly 100 passengers were rescued shortly after the capsizing.

However, he said they were yet to be sure about how exactly how many people were missing because there were no records detailing how many people were traveling on the ferry.