The authorities have pulled 30 bodies from the Buriganga River after a launch capsized when it collided with another vessel in Dhaka.
The incident took place near Dhaka’s Shyambazar at around 9:30am on Monday, said Fire Service Control Room Officer Rozina Islam.
The victims include three children, eight women and 19 men, according to a Fire Service tally.
But the authorities could not immediately identify the dead, reports bdnews24.com.
Divers from the fire service subsequently arrived on the scene and began the rescue operation together with Navy and Coast Guard personnel.
The launch, Morning Bird, was heading toward Sadarghat from Munshiganj when it collided with the Moyuri-2 vessel from Chandpur, said BIWTA transport inspector Md Selim.
Morning Bird was carrying more than 50 passengers and some of them swam ashore. The other passengers remained trapped inside the vessel.
The authorities are yet to confirm the number of missing passengers.
Bodies recovered by rescuers are lined up after a launch sank on the Buriganga River near Dhaka's Shyambazar following a collision with another vessel on Monday. Photo: Mahmud Zaman OviBodies recovered by rescuers are lined up after a launch sank on the Buriganga River near Dhaka's Shyambazar following a collision with another vessel on Monday. Photo: Mahmud Zaman OviWitnesses said the Mayuri-2 was travelling backwards as it prepared to dock at Sadarghat's terminal for Chandpur after unloading passengers at the Lalkuthi terminal when the vessel crashed into the Morning Bird, which had sailed behind it.
Rescuers have found the sunken vessel and are searching for bodies inside. The launch will be retrieved from the river once the rescue operation is completed.
After the disaster struck, scores of people gathered at the launch terminal to look for their loved ones. Among the bodies recovered by rescuers, Sumon Talukder, an executive at Jamuna Bank's Islampur branch, was identified by his older brother Nayan Talukder.
Sumon, a resident of Munshiganj's Mirkadim and father-of-one, would usually commute to his office in Islampur on a launch, said Nayan.
As ever, he had boarded a launch to travel to Dhaka around 7:30 am on Monday. Nayan called his brother on his mobile phone after news of the tragedy began circulating but it was switched off. He subsequently rushed to the launch terminal and found that his worst fears had come true.
