A passenger launch sank in the Shitalakshya river in Narayanganj, Bangladesh after being hit by a cargo ship. There were more than 50 passengers in the launch
There were 6 casualties The bodies of six people were recovered by 10pm local time on Sunday, local media reported Deutsche Welle’s content partner bdnews24.com quoted Narayanganj Sadar Naval Police Station OC Moniruzzaman as saying the dead included at least two children and two women.
Lieutenant Colonel Zillur, director of the fire service, told bdnews24.com that five divers from the fire service rescued the bodies of the five people killed in the accident. One of the passengers died after returning after swimming
“According to the launch passengers, there were about 40 to 50 passengers,” Zillur said. About 20 to 25 of them were able to reach the shore. In other words, 10 to 20 people did not get the news till he wrote the news
The launch, meanwhile, sank 25 meters (about 55 feet) deep in the Shitalakshya River, according to the fire service. It has been tied with a rope “The launch is planned to be launched with the help of a BIWTA rescue ship and a barge,” Zillur said.
Meanwhile, the fire service has informed the local media that the rescue operation has been suspended for the time being. Underwater rescue operation will be carried out again on Monday
Earlier, the incident took place near Coal Ghat in Sonakanda area at around 2pm local time on Sunday. Local newspapers reported that the passenger launch ML Afsar Uddin-2 bound for Munshiganj from Narayanganj was hit by a cargo ship named Ruposhi-9.
A video captured locally on a mobile phone shows the ship, Rupshi-9, almost hovering over a passenger launch in the middle of the river. Some of the passengers on the launch jumped into the water, but many were still inside when the launch sank.
A three-member committee has been formed by convening Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping ANM Bazlur Rashid to investigate the cause of the incident. The committee will submit its report to the ministry within three working days In addition, BIWTA has opened a ‘hotline’ for emergency communication; Its number is 16113 7
Meanwhile, Narayanganj Sadar Naval Police Station OC Moniruzzaman told bdnews24.com that the cargo ship was a cargo ship owned by Ruposhi-9 City Group. This is not the first time a cargo ship has crashed in the winter. In April last year, 26 people died in an accident
(Note: The report was taken from Deutsche Welle. That report has been published. No representative of Hindustan Times Bangla has written this report.)