30 die in Bangladesh ferry accident
At least 30 people died and a dozen are missing after a ferry capsized and sank yesterday in the Bangladeshi capital here following a collision with another vessel, rescue officials said.
The Morning Bird was hit from behind by another ferry at 9.30am during the morning rush hour when the country’s largest river port was packed with vessels.
“We have collected 30 bodies, including 20 males, seven women and three children,” said Abul Khair, a diver in the fire brigade.
“There were at least 50 people on board... Our rescue divers are still searching,” said coastguard spokesman commander Hayet Ibne Siddique.
The ferry sank as it was about to moor at Sadarghat, the main river port here used by hundreds of boats to travel to the country’s south.
Inland Water Transport Authority chief Commodore Golam Sadeqk said the single-deck ship was “not overcrowded” and sank “due to carelessness”.
He said the vessel had been cleared to carry passengers until September.
Witnesses told local television stations that many passengers appeared to be stuck in the ferry’s cabins.
Divers were still pulling bodies from the wreck, in waters some 12m to 15m deep. Victims were put in body bags before they were laid in rows at the harbour-front.
Another boat arrived to lift the damaged vessel from the water, Siddique said.
Relatives gathered at Sadarghat despite coronavirus social distancing concerns to search for their family.
“I still don’t know what happened to them,” said a man, searching for his cousin and another relative.
Boat accidents are common in Bangladesh, which has more than 230 rivers. The nation is heavily reliant on ferries, but has had a poor safety record. Experts blame badly maintained vessels, lax safety standards and overcrowding for many of the accidents.