A overcrowded ferry seen just before capsizing in this screen grab from a video of the incident.
By Ruma Paul
DHAKA, Aug 13 (Reuters) – A special Bangladesh anti-crime unit on Wednesday arrested the owner of a ferry that sank in a river killing about 110 people, the first time authorities took such action in a country where shipping accidents with heavy loss of life are common.
The ferry capsized and sank during bad weather on Aug. 4 in a river swelled by monsoon rain about 30 km (18 miles) south of the capital, Dhaka.
The vessel had a capacity for 85 passengers but was crammed with about 250 people returning to work in Dhaka after spending the Eid al-Fitr holiday in their villages.
Authorities had lodged murder charges against the owner, Abu Bakar Siddique, 60, and five other people including the captain, for overloading, operating the ferry with an expired license and disregarding the river authority’s instructions not to sail because of bad weather.
SEE ALSO: Video Captures Sinking of Bangladesh Ferry
Siddique went into hiding but was caught early on Wednesday in the port city of Chittagong.
“Acting on a tip-off, he was arrested during a raid on a house,” Mufti Mahmud Khan, legal and media director of the interior ministry’s elite anti-crime unit, the Rapid Action Battalion, told Reuters.
About 48 bodies were recovered from the river but search operations were called off this week with at least 62 people still missing.
Low-lying Bangladesh, with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards, has an appalling record of ferry accidents, with casualties at times running into the hundreds. (Editing by Robert Birsel)
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,747 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
Swedish police said on Thursday they had boarded the Yi Peng 3 vessel, which is at the center of an investigation into Baltic Sea cable breaches, at the invitation of the Chinese authorities.
Spilled oil has washed up along “tens of kilometers” of the Russian Black Sea coast after two tankers were badly damaged in a storm at the weekend, a regional official said on Tuesday, and state media said a third ship was now in trouble.
Denmark has rejected a Japanese request to extradite anti-whaling activist Paul Watson over criminal charges dating back more than a decade, a Danish lawyer representing Watson said on Tuesday.
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,747 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
