At least two people were killed and 30 others remain missing after a launch capsized yesterday morning in the Meghna river at Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj.
The 17.08-metre ML Sarash was heading for Machuakhali in Matlab of Chandpur from Narayanganj but it was hit in the stern by an unregistered cargo vessel around 7:45am near Ismanir Char causing it to sink.
Survivor Shafiqul Islam said, “I was walking on the roof of the launch and suddenly, I saw the speedy cargo vessel hit it. The launch could not maintain balance and sank within one or two minutes.”
Witnesses said some passengers managed to swim ashore while some were picked up by nearby trawlers.
Talking to The Daily Star, a trawler captain Yusuf Miah said he was nearby when the launch sank. His along with another trawler pulled at least 28 people out of the water.
The rescue operation started around 10:00am even though rescue vessel MV Rustom reached the spot around 11:30am.
Around 100 divers were taking part in the rescue operation and had located the vessel under water around 2:00pm.
They recovered the bodies of Mayna, 30, and Prince, 2, of Matlab from the ill-fated launch.
They had been able to pull the vessel out partially at 9:50pm when this report was filed.
Hundreds of people thronged the spot and were looking for their near and dear ones using boats and trawlers.
Some survivors claimed that there were around 60 to 70 people on board the vessel but officials of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport and Bangladesh Inland Waterways (passenger carrier's) Association say that there were around 30 to 35 passengers.
Superintendent of Police of Munshiganj said the exact number of people missing could not be ascertained. The policeman said around 30 people were thought to be missing.
However, BIWTA officials claimed that eight to 10 people were missing.
Officials of Department of Shipping said the cargo vessel MV Firoja Farjana, which hit the launch, was not registered and that law enforcers have seized it.
The shipping ministry has formed a four-member committee to investigate the incident and submit a report to the ministry by five working days.
Munshiganj district administration has said that it has made a Tk 5 lakh fund from which Tk 10,000 would be given as burial cost for each body and the treatment of the injured would be paid for.
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