3 killed in Bangladesh as boat capsizes near Dhaka

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Three passengers were killed late Friday in Bangladesh near the nation’s capital of Dhaka when an engine boat capsized on the Shitalakkhya River, according to an official with the Fire Service and Civil Defense.

"Our rescue operation has been completed last midnight as only those three passengers of the water vessel out of total 12 were missing," Rashid Bin Khalid, an on-duty official at the headquarters of the Fire Service and Civil Defense told Anadolu Agency.

He said the reason for the accident was not immediately known.

Police said the accident occurred around 9.45 p.m. (1530 GMT) local time.

Divers from the Fire Service rushed to the scene and recovered the bodies during a nearly three-hour rescue operation, the head of a local police station told reporters.

"We will investigate to find out the causes of the accident," said Md Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Narayanganj Sadar River Police Station.

Witnesses said passengers on the boat, mostly friends and classmates, were returning after attending a festival.

The South Asian delta nation of nearly 170 million people has more than 500 rivers, including 54 common rivers with neighboring India and a large number of people use water routes to travel.

But frequent accidents are reported from the comfortable and cheaper travel routes due to natural calamities, lack of maintenance of the vessels, unskilled drivers and overcrowded boats.

Sixty-eight people were killed last month when an overcrowded boat capsized in the northern district of Panchagarh.