At least 3 dead, dozens missing as boat sinks in Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - At least three people are dead and 25 others are missing after a boat sank late Sunday in Bangladesh’s Buriganga river near the capital Dhaka after colliding with a sand-laden bulkhead, said officials.

The boat, which was carrying over 50 passengers, immediately sank after the collision, they said.

“We recovered seven people -- three dead and four alive. Rescue operations are going on until we confirm the last missing passenger," Mehedi Hassan Maruf, sub-inspector of the Sadarghat River Police, told Anadolu.

Abdul Malek Mollah, in charge of the diving team of the Fire Service and Civil Defense, said they rescued eight people, five of them alive.

“The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is attempting to recover the boat. Once we manage to take it on land, we can determine if there are any bodies inside,” he said.

The collision occurred when the boat, which embarked from Dhaka's Sadarghat water transport terminal, was heading towards its destination -- Telghat Boat Terminal in Keraniganj, southwest of Dhaka.

Police have seized the bulkhead.

Bangladesh is crisscrossed by more than 500 rivers.

Seasonal natural calamities such as storms and cyclones, foggy weather in winter, lack of vessel fitness, unskilled drivers and overloading have been identified as the main causes of such accidents.

According to the records of the Shipping Department of Bangladesh, more than 550 passenger ships capsized between 1991 and 2020, killing over 3,600 people and leaving nearly 500 people missing.