Launch sinks near Daulatdia in Meghna, 21 bodies found

Rescuers have pulled 21 bodies from the Meghna until the early hours of Friday after a passenger vessel sank on way to Sureshwar from Dhaka Thursday afternoon.

Passengers say hundreds more are still missing.

MV Miraj-4 was caught in a storm around 4:30pm on Thursday and sank near Daulatdia in Munshiganj.

Munshiganj Deputy Commissioner Saiful Hasan Badal said from the scene of the accident that 12 bodies had been recovered until 7:30pm. Forty other passengers had been rescued.

Munshiganj Police Station OC Shahidul Islam told bdnews24.com 13 more bodies were recovered until 4am on Friday.

He later confirmed that 21 bodies had been recovered until 4am on Friday.

Among the victims are Jamal Hossain Shikdar, 50, his son Abid Hossain Shikdar, 28, Tumpa Begum, 30, Setar Begum, 50, and Arif, 11, all from Shariatpur.

Tumpa’s husband, Liton Hossain, a survivor, said their children ‘Sumona’, 8, and ‘Mahim’, 6, were still unaccounted-for.

Munshiganj’s acting Superintendent of Police Jakir Hossain said at least 200 passengers were on board.

The coast guard, district administration and locals are engaged in the rescue operation.

Photo: tanvir ahammed/ bdnews24.com

Photo: tanvir ahammed/ bdnews24.com

Rescue vessels Durbar and Prottoy reached Daulatdia around 6:30pm from Narayanganj to salvage the launch.

Rescuers have pinpointed the sunken vessel’s position about 80 feet below the surface, said Prottoy’s Petty Officer MHA Masud.

He told bdnews24.com that they had found the launch lying tilted on the river bed.

Masud said there were chances of the vessel being lifted around midnight. But salvage attempts were going on until 4am Friday.

The 110 by 35 feet vessel weighs 110 tonnes. Rescue vessel Prottoy can lift 250 tonnes.

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, local MP Mrinal Kanti Das, BIWTA Chairman Shamsuddoha Talukder, Munshiganj’s DC and acting SP and Narayanganj DC Md Anisur Rahman Miah were overseeing the rescue efforts at the scene.

Mahmud Hossain, a transport inspector for Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) at Dhaka’s Sadarghat terminal, said MV Miraj-4 left Dhaka at 1pm.

He could not say how many passengers it was carrying.

The Department of Shipping has formed a committee to investigate the accident.

Shipping ministry spokesperson Jahangir Alam Khan said the three-member committee would be headed by ASM Sirajul Islam, an engineer and ship surveyor with the Mercantile Marine Department.

The other two members are DoS Executive Magistrate Saiful Hasan and Chief Inspector (additional duties) Shafiqur Rahman.

The committee has been asked to file a report within seven days.