Ferries collide in Bangladesh river, at least 28 dead

At least 32 people drowned and many went missing after a ferry carrying over 100 passengers capsized in Buriganga river in Bangladesh on Monday, PTI reported. The boat, called “Morning Bird” capsized after it was hit by a bigger vessel, “Moyur-2”, near the Sadarghat Launch Terminal. “Morning Bird” had been travelling from Munshiganj district to Dhaka.

Fire Service Headquarters Control Room chief Enayetur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that the accident took place around 9.30 am (9 am Indian Standard Time). “It appeared to be an accident caused by negligence of the drivers,” an unidentified official of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, or BIWTA, said. But Bangladesh’s Ministry of Shipping and BIWTA have launched independent investigations into the cause of the incident.

The bodies of 30 people – 19 men, eight women and three children – were recovered from the river. Two more people died at Mitford Hospital in Dhaka, Sadarghat Police Officer-in-Charge Rejaul Karim Bhuiyan said. All bodies were handed over to the family members of the deceased.