Dredger drowns in Sandwip channel, 8 workers die

Due to the impact of Cyclone Sitrang, eight workers died when a sand-lifting dredger sank west of Jetty No. 3 area of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpanagar in Saherkhali Union on Monday night in the Sandwip Channel of Mirsarai coast of Chittagong.

The dead are - Imam Molla, Mahmud Molla, Shaheen Molla, Al Amin, Md Tarek and Bashar. The names of the other two victims have not been known yet.

However, one worker from the dredger managed to come ashore.

The houses of all the victims are in Jainkathi area of Patuakhali Sadar Upazila.

Mirsarai upazila nirbahi officer Minhazur Rahman said that immediately after the accident, other workers tried to rescue the trapped workers with a boat. Then they found the dead workers trapped inside the dredger. 

Divers and fire service teams have started working in the sea to recover the bodies, he added.

Salam, the worker survived the dredger accident told reporters that their dredger Saikat-2 sank in the Sandwip Channel off the Mirsarai coast due to strong winds and waves under the influence of Cyclone Sitrang.

The dredger is owned by a contractor named Saikat Enterprises, he said, adding that Bepza appointed the contractor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpanagar in Mirsarai.