Six dead after launch struck by freight ship sinks in Shitalakkhya

At least six people have died after a launch with over 50 people on board sank in the Shitalakkhya river upon being struck by a freight vessel of the City Group in Narayanganj.

Divers pulled five bodies out of the river and one passenger died after he managed to swim ashore on Sunday afternoon. 

The victims included two children and two women and a man, according to the police. Rozina Akhter, an official at the Fire Service Control Room, said the first three victims were two girls aged 10 and 16 and a 28-year-old woman.

The authorities could not identify the victims immediately. It was also unclear how many were still missing. The Fire Service and Civil Defence estimates 15 to 20 more people went missing.

Members of the Fire Service, Coast Guard, River Police and BIWTA took part in the search and rescue operation that lasted for seven hours before being called off for the day at 9pm.

A rescue team was kept on the bank of the river, said Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Shahjahan Sikder. The search will resume on Monday once the sunken launch is pulled up, he said.  

Rescue operations are conducted in the Sonakanda area of Narayanganj on Sunday, Mar 20, 2022, after a launch headed to Munshiganj was rammed by the freight vessel Rupshi-9 and sank.

A rescue ship of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority arrived in the scene around 9:45pm, said Fire Service Director Lt Col Zillur Rahman. The authorities were also planning to use a barge to pull the launch up.

The launch was secured around 25 metres under water with a rope, he said.

The accident occurred near the coal market in the Sonakanda area around 2pm, said Moniruzzaman, chief of Narayanganj Sadar River Police Station.

A cargo vessel named the MV Rupshi-9 struck the launch, he said. The ship belongs to the City Group, he said.

The Rupshi-9 owned by City Seed Crushing Industries, a unit of City Group, was built in 2019, according to vesselfinder.com, a vessel-tracking website.

The freight ship was detained in a Munshiganj dockyard, police said.

City Group General Manager Biswajit Saha could not be reached for comment.

Fire Service official Zillur said five divers took part in the operation and pulled out five bodies.

At least 20 others managed to swim ashore but one of them died later, he said. “It is assumed that 15-20 people are still missing, but no one filed a missing report yet.

The water of the river has become dark and stinky due to pollution, making it difficult to carry out the rescue operation, said one of the divers.

As the horror unfolded on the river, passengers from another launch captured the terrifying moments on their mobile phones.

A launch with over 50 aboard sank after it was rammed by the Rupshi-9 freight vessel on the Shitalakshya River in the Sonakanda area of Narayanganj on Sunday, Mar 20, 2022. People crowded the area after the accident.

The ship was seen bearing down on the side of the launch with great force as onlookers screamed out in dismay. The launch turned for a moment, throwing off some passengers, while others leapt off in hopes of swimming to safety. The launch then appeared to collapse, sinking into the water as the ship ran relentlessly over it.

“The river police and BIWTA have started rescue operations in the area. Though many managed to swim to shore, we still fear casualties. Diving teams from the Fire Service & Civil Defence are taking part in the operation,” Moniruzzaman had said earlier.

The ML Ashraf Uddin-2 left the Narayanganj launch terminal carrying the passengers and headed for Munshiganj, according to Badiuzzaman Badol, president of the Narayanganj Zone of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority. The Rupshi-9 vessel subsequently struck the launch in the Sonakanda area and fled as it sank, he said.

Earlier, Lima Khanam, an official at the Fire Service Control Room, said a diving unit from its headquarters had been sent to assist in rescue operations and the port had sent another.

The Ministry of Shipping has assembled a three-strong committee to investigate the incident with Joint Secretary ANM Bazlur Rashid as convener. The other two members are Captain Abu Sayeed Mohammad Delowar Rahman and Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, BIWTA director (Marine Safety & Traffic Management).

The committee has been asked to submit a report to the ministry within the next three working days.

BIWTA hotline for emergency contact over the launch capsize can now be reached by dialling 16113.