Trawler sinks in Buriganga with 50 passengers, 10 missing

A trawler with at least 50 passengers sank in the Buriganga river at Dharmaganj Kheyaghat area of Narayanganj Sadar upazila on Wednesday morning after being hit by a Dhaka-bound launch from Barisal.

Police said many of the passengers were able to swim to shore, but at least eight to 10 people were missing.

Citing eyewitnesses, Fatullah Model Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Masud told reporters, “At least 50 passengers were coming to Dharmaganj ferryghat from Baktabali ferryghat at around 8.30 am. In the thick fog, the surroundings could not be seen well. The trawler sank when it was hit by a launch that left Dhaka at that time.”

Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of the Narayanganj office of the Fire Service and Civil Defense, said, “ Locals told me that 8 to 10 passengers of the trawler were missing. Some people have claimed that their relatives are missing. We are investigating the matter and trying to find out the number of missing persons and the rescue operation is going on.”