2,500 lives saved from drowning

More than 2,500 passengers of a launch, heading home for Eid holidays, were saved after their vessel began taking in water on Meghna River.

Barisal Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 27 July 2014, 10:41 AM
Updated : 27 July 2014, 10:41 AM

MV Karnaphuli-1 was headed from Dhaka to Doulotkhan on Sunday when its ‘bottom cracked open’ at Kaliganj of Barisal’s Mehendiganj Upazila at around 12:30 pm.

“The old launch was carrying an overload of passengers when its bottom split. The launch was taking in water and was swiftly taken to shore,” said Mehendiganj Police OC Asim Kumar.

The damaged vessel is now anchored at Khaliganj terminal, he said.

MV Karnaphuli-1 left dock at 7am with more than 2,500 people going home for Eid, Belal Hossain, one of the passengers headed to Doulotkhan, told bdnews24.com

Some of the passengers jumped overboard in panic after water began rushing through the crack on the bottom at around 12:30 pm, he said.

“They swam to the nearby trawlers which sailed towards the launch realising it was in distress.”

“Something horrible could have happened if we were 15 to 20 minutes late.”

Launch manager Jashim Uddin however claimed the launch’s bottom didn’t break but the vessel tilted to its side under the overweight of too many passengers.