PATURIA, Bangladesh – Sixteen
people including a baby are confirmed dead and rescuers are still
searching for missing passengers after a ferry collided with a cargo
ship and sank Sunday in a Bangladesh river, officials said.
It was the second deadly boat accident in less than a fortnight in the country, which has a history of ferry tragedies.
Rescue workers had recovered 16 bodies including an infant and two
women, local administrator Rashida Ferdous told AFP, adding that she did
not know the exact number of people missing.
She said a salvage vessel was on its way to raise the sunken vessel,
adding that the master of the cargo ship and two other crew had been
arrested.
Survivors said the twin-deck MV Mostofa was carrying between 70-150
passengers when it capsized in the middle of the Padma river, local
police chief Rakibuz Zaman told AFP.
“Some 50 people swam ashore or were rescued by other vessels,” he added.
The vessel was reportedly heading to the town of Paturia in Manikganj
district, some 70 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital Dhaka, from
Rajbari district.
Local newspaper Prothom Alo quoted one survivor, Hafizur Rahman, as
saying the cargo ship hit the boat 15 minutes after departure — causing
it to overturn and trapping many passengers.
“I was on the deck of the ferry and fell into the river. Those who
were on the deck were able to come out but none of the passengers inside
could get out,” Rahman said.
Bangladeshi ferries do not normally keep passenger lists, making it
difficult to establish how many are missing after an accident.
The Padma river is one of the largest in the delta nation. Boats are the
main form of travel in many of Bangladesh’s remote rural areas,
especially in the south and northeast.
Source: The Times Of India...More...
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