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Six people have been rescued alive following the incident
Published : 11 Jan 2025, 11:12 AM
Two more bodies have been recovered after a crash involving a speedboat and an engine-run trawler in the Meghna River in Munshiganj’s Gajaria, taking the total toll to four.
Six people have been rescued alive following the incident.
The accident occurred around 10pm on Friday near Nayachar Chawk, according to Anowar Alam Azad, chief of Gajaria Police Station.
The dead have been identified as Wadud Bepari, 36, Babul Sarkar, 48, Sakib, 26, and Nayeem, 24 – both of whom were identified with single names. Wadud and Babul hailed from Munshiganj, while Sakib and Nayeem hailed from Chandpur.
Md Obaidul Karim Khan, deputy director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Association and Narayanganj commander of the rescue team, said: “On Friday night, we heard that a speedboat collided with a freight vessel. But when we reached the scene, we confirmed that the speedboat crashed into an engine-run trawler.”
“The trawler sank after the accident and the speedboat was damaged. There were 10-11 people on board the two vessels. Three bodies were recovered following the incident, but speedboat driver Nayeem had been missing.”
“The Fire Service, Coast Guard, and BIWTA launched rescue operations to search for him. At one point, around 2pm on Saturday, we recovered Nayeem’s body from a bush close to the scene of the accident.”
Ferdousi, the wife of Wadud Bepari and identified by a single name, said that they were headed home to Gajaria’s Guagachia after attending a social event in Chandpur’s Matlab North Upazila when the accident occurred.
The families of the other victims say that it crashed into the trawler travelling in the opposite direction by mistake due to the heavy fog in the night. This led to the trawler sinking and the speedboat being damaged.
The cause of the accident is being investigated, according to Gajaria police official Anowar.
