26 PASSENGERS DROWN AFTER BOAT CAPSIZES IN B’DESH RIVER

DHAKA: An overcrowded speedboat ferrying over 30 passengers and defying Covid-19 restrictions capsized after hitting a stationary sand-laden cargo vessel on the Padma River on Monday, leaving at least 26 people dead, a senior Bangladesh police officer said. The tragic accident occurred at the old Kanthalbari ferry terminal in Shibchar region of Madaripur at around 8am. The speedboat, reportedly steered by an inexperienced driver, overturned on the Padma in central Bangladesh while heading for Madaripur district from Munshiganj district.

“We have retrieved 26 bodies, rescued alive five others,” said Ashiqur Rahman, a police inspector from a nearby ferry terminal.