Launch capsize in Shitalakkhya: 21 more bodies recovered
Published: 5 April 2021, 02:53 PM | Updated: 5 April 2021, 02:56 PM
A total of twenty-one more bodies were recovered 18 hours after the sunken launch was recovered from Sitalakkhya River on Monday noon.
The rescue ship named “Prottoy” recovered the launch at 12:30pm and 21 bodies were recovered from it. The death toll from the accident stood at 26.
Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.
Confirming the matter, Abdullah Al Arefin, Deputy Assistant Director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said a total of 26 bodies were recovered so far from the spot.
According to the source, the launch carrying around 50 passengers sank in the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj on Sunday evening when an oil-laden tanker hit Munshiganj-bound launch ML Rabit Al Hasan. The launch capsized soon after the collision. Around 20 passengers managed to swim ashore.
However, Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner Mostain Billah has formed a seven-member probe committee, headed by Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Khadija Tahera Boby, to investigate the incident.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) also formed a four-member investigation committee, led by its director (Maritime Security) Rafiqul Islam, as per the directive of BIWTA Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq.
The Narayanganj DC also asked the concerned officials to provide Tk 25,000 for burial of each deceased.
