Recovered bodies are seen after a boat packed with passengers slammed in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh. Reuters

At least 21 people were killed and dozens were missing after a boat packed with passengers slammed into a vessel transporting sand on Friday in eastern Bangladesh, officials said.

"We have so far recovered 19 bodies," said Anisur Rahman, chief police official in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria, where the accident occurred, said about the latest waterways tragedy to hit Bangladesh.

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Local police official Imranul Islam provided the figure of 21 dead, speaking by phone late Friday. Survivors said about 100 people were aboard. Local news reports, quoting the area’s top government administrator, Hayat-Ud-Dola, said about 50 people were missing.

People watch rescue work after a passenger boat sank in Brahmanbaria district, Bangladesh, on Friday. AP

A witness said two cargo vessels hit the boat, which sank quickly, Dhaka-based The Daily Star newspaper reported.

"I was grazing cattle on the bank. I heard a loud noise and saw the cargo vessels hitting the passenger trawler. I saw the trawler sinking quickly,” witness Nurul Amin told the paper.

The Bijoynagar area is 82 kilometres (51 miles) east of the capital, Dhaka.