Capsized waterbus recovered from Buriganga

The waterbus which capsized in the Buriganga River on Sunday has been pulled out from the riverbed on Monday morning. 

South Keraniganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Shahjaman said, ". The salvage vessel MV Rustom hauled the vessel up but no missing passengers were found inside it."

However, Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) divers have been continuing rescue operation, he added.

According to survivors of the incident, a waterbus from Lalkuthighat was heading to Telghat of South Keraniganj. A sand-laden bulkhead vessel named MV Arabi hit the waterbus in mid-river and it sank into the river at around 8:30pm on Sunday.

On information, the Fire Service and Civil Defence started rescue operations at around 9pm. Coast Guard divers also joined the operation.

Eight people were rescued while 25 more remained missing in the incident. Two of the deceased were identified as Alif, 14, and Fahim, 25. Bodies of the deceased were taken to the Sir Salimullah Medical College (SSMC) in Dhaka.

Imran Hossain, a survivor, said there were 55-60 passengers on the waterbus. He was sitting on the roof and was able to swim to safety when the vessel capsized.

/KN/MHK/