Travel along the Shimulia-Banglabazar river route has been suspended as Cyclone Yaas causes high waves on the Padma, leaving over 500 vehicles and several thousand people stuck at the piers.
Port authorities are struggling to recover ferries and pontoons from the choppy waters, reports bdnews24.com.
“The waves are large and the wind is intense. It isn’t possible to operate ferries in such conditions, so they have been suspended,” said Prafulla Chouhan, manager of BIWTC’s river port at Shimulia. “We will not resume services until the weather improves.”
A pontoon at pier 2 was destroyed on Wednesday morning. The intensity of the waves caused the pontoon to break in two.
“The three other piers are vulnerable to water surges too. We are trying to protect them,” Prafulla said.
Twelve ferries have been moved to the Banglabazar port, but the authorities are struggling to protect the six ferries docked at the Shimulia end.
“The ropes tying them to the dock are fraying. The water level of the Padma has risen nearly 2.5 feet and the waves are at least 3 feet high,” he said.
Other river vessels were suspended on Tuesday, said Md Shahadat Hossain, a Shimulia river safety official.