DHAKA, May 15 (Reuters) – A Bangladeshi river ferry with around 200 passengers on board capsized in a storm on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, and a rescue diver said he had seen more bodies inside the wreck.
Police said some 40 people had swum ashore as the M.V. Miraj-4 capsized in high winds and rain on the Meghna river near the capital Dhaka. Most of the passengers were city workers and students heading home for the weekend beginning on Friday.
“We fear there will be more bodies inside the vessel and we cannot be sure of the number of passengers (on board),” Saiful Hassan Badal, Deputy Commissioner of Munshiganj district, told Reuters by telephone from the scene.
Bangladesh has a history of ferry disasters, with casualties sometimes running into hundreds due to overcrowding and lack of enforcement of safety standards such as numbers of lifeboats.
Bangladesh Coast Guard diver Liton said he had pulled out the body of a child of around five and had seen several more bodies in the ferry.
Some survivors were able to swim ashore despite strong currents and high waves.
“There was a sudden storm and we requested the boatswain to anchor at the riverside but he ignored us … the ferry capsized within a few seconds,” said Abdur Rahman, 50, a passenger who managed to swim ashore.
A rescue vessel sent from Dhaka reached the scene three hours after the capsize.
Twelve bodies had been recovered so far, including those of women and children, said Oliur Rahman, a police officer at the scene. (Reporting by Serajul Quadir; Editing by Andrew Roche)
SINGAPORE, April 24 (Reuters) – Demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to power ships will rise this year on attractive prices, while more dual-fuel vessels join the global fleet, industry executives said....
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian judge on Friday cleared three migrant sea rescue charities that had been accused of abetting irregular immigration in complicity with human traffickers, throwing out a case opened...
(Bloomberg) — The closure of one of the East Coast’s busiest ports after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has so far not led to broad price increases,...
April 19, 2024
Total Views: 2194
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.