NARAYANGANJ: At least 20 people still remained missing till Monday afternoon after a trawler with over a hundred passengers capsized in the Sitalakhya River on Sunday night, police and local sources said.

Setting out from Tanbazar Gudara Ghat in Narayanganj, the mechanized ferryboat sank after a sand-laden cargo vessel rammed it in the midstream of the river.

“At least 20 passengers, including women and children, went missing following the accident,” Narayanganj deputy commissioner Shamsur Rahman told banglanews24.com.

Port Thana OC Harun-Ar Rashid made a list of 16 missing people. They are: Noor Hossain Dewan, Akhi Aktar, Iqbal, Rehana, Rasel, Sumon, Shyamol, Khokon, Rubel, Rahman, Selim, Tapan, Aslam, Rina Aktar, Arman, Monir Hossain and Mahbub.

Relatives of the missing people remained in anxious wait on both sides of the river to get any news of their near and dear ones.

Ahsanul Kabir, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defense, said fire service and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) have been carrying out rescue operation since 8:30am, but any body could not be found yet.

Following the ferry mishap, local people on Sunday night staged an angry protest attacking several sand-carrying trawlers and beating up their workers. At least 30 people were injured in the reprisals.

Later, the injured were taken to different hospitals and clinics in Narayanganj and Dhaka.

Meanwhile, sadar thana OC Akhtar Hossain told banglanews24.com.bd that some 100-150 passengers were traveling on the trawler. The passengers, mostly garment and shop workers, were returning home from work. Witnesses said most of them swam ashore.


BDST: 1506 HRS, 5 July 2010