A ferry carrying a group of Hindu pilgrims has capsized in Bangladesh, leaving 61 people dead and dozens missing.

The boat sank in the northern Panchagarh district on Sunday. It was returning from a Hindu temple on the opposite side of the Karatoa River.

Every year, tens of thousands of devotees visit the temple for their largest religious festival starting next month.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the sinking. Initial reports suggest the ferry was carrying almost three times its capacity.

Nearly 8 percent of Bangladesh's population is Hindu in the Muslim-majority nation.

The sinking is the worst boating disaster in the country since 2015.