Bangladesh boat tragedy death toll hits 32

Published September 26, 2022
In this picture taken on Sep 25, people gather along the banks of the Karatoya river after a boat capsized near the town of Boda. — Reuters
In this picture taken on Sep 25, people gather along the banks of the Karatoya river after a boat capsized near the town of Boda. — Reuters

Rescue workers recovered seven more bodies on Monday after a boat carrying religious pilgrims capsized in Bangladesh, taking the death toll to 32 with scores still missing, police said.

The small boat packed with mostly women and children on their way to a popular temple flipped over on Sunday in a river as onlookers screamed in horror from the shore.

The incident in a remote northern area was the latest in a string of similar tragedies blamed on poor maintenance and overcrowding in the low-lying delta country.

District police chief Sirajul Huda said the seven bodies were found in the Karotoa river downstream from where the boat capsized near the town of Boda. It carried around 90 people — more than the up to 50 pilgrims which police on Sunday said were aboard.

“Sixty people are still missing,” Huda told AFP.

“It was carrying three times its capacity. There were heavy rains in the morning and that is why when the ferrying began, pilgrims packed the boat to make it quickly to the temple,” Huda said.

“The boatman asked some people to disembark in an effort to ease the weight-load. But no one listened,” he said.

Local media said at least 10 people had been rescued and sent to hospital. Mobile phone footage aired by TV station Channel 24 showed the overcrowded boat suddenly flip over, spilling the passengers into the muddy brown river.

Dozens of people watching from the shore started shouting and screaming. The weather was calm at the time.

Thousands of Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh visit the centuries-old Bodeshwari Temple every year.

Sunday marked the start of Durga Puja, the biggest Hindu festival in Bangladesh — and also eastern India — drawing large crowds at the temple.

Last December around 40 people perished when a packed three-storey ferry caught fire in southern Bangladesh.

A ferry sank in Dhaka in June 2020 after a collision with another vessel, killing at least 32 people.

And at least 78 people perished in 2015 when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo vessel in a river west of the capital.

Opinion

Editorial

Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.
Concerning measures
Updated 03 Nov, 2024

Concerning measures

The govt must seek political input and consensus on the changes it is seeking to make and be open about its intentions.
Short-lived relief?
03 Nov, 2024

Short-lived relief?

POLICYMAKERS must be jumping with joy. At the close of the first quarter of FY25, the budget posted a consolidated...
Brisk spread
03 Nov, 2024

Brisk spread

THE surge in polio cases has reached distressing levels with a tally of 45 last reported, after two cases emerged in...