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Bangladeshi villagers gather at the riverside to inspect the capsized ferry in the remote coastal village of Bhola.
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29th November, 2009
DHAKA: Twenty-six people were killed and dozens more were feared dead after a Bangladesh ferry jammed with over 1,000 people going home to celebrate the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday capsized, an official said Saturday.
“We have so far pulled out 26 dead bodies. Dozens more are trapped under water and are feared dead,” district administrator Mejbahul Islam told AFP by telephone from Nazirpura, 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of Dhaka. The accident occurred Friday around midnight as the MV Coco-4, one of the country’s largest inland vessels, was approaching the dock on Bhola island. The ferry had more than 1,000 passengers aboard when it started taking on water, police said.
Thousands of relatives crowded the banks of the river Tentulia in the remote coastal village of Nazirpura, 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of Dhaka, anxious for news of their family members.
Most of the passengers managed to swim ashore or were rescued, Hossain said, but some people had been trapped underwater. “Around 50 people remain unaccounted for. They are trapped underwater and are feared dead. We have recovered 11 bodies,” Hossain said. Some of those rescued were in critical condition in hospital. District administrator Mejbahul Islam said divers had rescued over 100 people from the submerged part of the vessel, managing to pries open lower cabins.
But the rescue operation was halted by fuel leaking from the vessel, making diving underwater almost impossible, said police inspector Saiful Islam. Local member of parliament Abdullah Al Islam told AFP that authorities were sending a salvage vessel to lift the sunken ship and bring it to shore. “Unless we can lift the tilted side, we can’t know how many were trapped inside,” he said.
The ferry set off from Dhaka on Friday afternoon with the passengers travelling to their village homes to celebrate the three-day Eid-ul Adha festival, the second largest Muslim celebration. Police said the three-deck vessel with a capacity to carry 665 passengers listed following a stampede.
“Survivors told us that they panicked and rushed to disembark after hearing a loud noise on the bottom deck,” said Islam.
The authorities have ordered an investigation into the accident. Boat and ferry accidents due to poor safety standards and overloading are common in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by a network of 230 rivers. Ahead of every major festival, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority issues warnings to ship owners not to overload ferries. But owners often ignore the warnings and jam ferries.
Experts also say most of the 2,000 large and medium-sized ferries which ply the rivers are built in dockyards without proper safety checks.
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