55 dead in Munshiganj launch capsize

A total of 55 bodies have been recovered until Saturday after passenger vessel MV Miraj-4 sank in Meghna River at Munshiganj’s Gazaria.

Of the 55 bodies, 54 were identified and handed over to their families.

The launch, headed for Shariatpur, sank after it was caught in a storm near Doulatdia on Thursday evening. The majority of the victims hail from the Shariatpur’s Naria Upazila.

At 3:15pm Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Saiful Hassan officially called off the rescue work but said search for bodies would continue until the seven people reported missing were found.

Gajaria Uapzila Executive Officer ATM Mahbub Karim said each victim’s family had been given Tk 20,000 as compensation. He said the bodies of 30 males, 13 females and 11 children had been handed over to families.

In the afternoon, families of victims attacked rescue vessel ‘Prottoy’.

This happened after Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) called off the rescue efforts on the ground that nothing more could be done as the sunken launch had been pulled close to the riverbank.

MV Miraj-4 was at that time lying on its side about 45 feet away from Megnha's banks.

Faced with the protests, BIWTA decided to resume rescue work as the relatives demanded that the launch be straightened up to fully check its interior to see if there were more bodies inside.