Seven bodies, including those of two women and a baby, were recovered till 10:30pm on Wednesday after a launch capsized in the River Sitalakhya near Madanganj in Narayanganj, with 50 others feared missing.
The launch from Chandpur, ML Madinar Alo, with around 150 passengers capsized in the river at about 7:00pm.
A team of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority divers was continuing search for the missing till 10:30pm.
They said strong current and darkness of night made their task difficult. Salvage vessel MV Hamza rushed from Narayangaj to the spot, but could not locate the sunken launch.
The accident occurred when an oil-loaded tank lorry hit the launch. Locals confirmed the death of a passenger, Monwara Begum, 70, while she was being taken to the Munshiganj sadar hospital.
After the launch had drowned, another launch, Darashiko, rescued 45 people while some of the passengers swam ashore. A rescued passenger, Rakibul, who boarded the launch from Shatnol station under Matlab in Chandpur, said there were around 150 passengers in the launch.
The Munshiganj sadar police, additional district magistrate and officer-in-charge of Narayanganj sadar police rushed to spot as the spot falls between Munshi-ganj and Narayanganj.
Munshiganj deputy commissioner Azizul Alam could not be contacted as his cell phone was found switched off.
Officer-in-charge of Narayanganj model police station Md Akter Hossain said the divers of BIWTC and fire service were conducting search in the river but they did not find anybody nor the launch till the report was written.
Narayanganj deputy commissioner Md Samsur Rahman and police super Sheikh Nazmul Alam rushed to the spot.
Source : New Age
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