Death toll in Narayanganj ferry accident rises to 27 in Bangladesh

The death toll in the ferry accident in Narayanganj in Bangladesh rose to 27 including 5 children as the rescue operation was called off on Monday. Some people survived the accident by swimming across the river while a few others were rescued by the river police.

The rescue vessel brought the sunken ferry named Sabit Al Hasan to the bank of the river Shitalakkya. The ferry was hit by a cargo vessel near Koylaghat of Syedpur near Narayanganj in the evening of Sunday. The passenger ferry had around 50 people on board when the accident took place.

The rescue operation was conducted jointly by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), Fire Service and Civil Defence, and



Coast Guard. They recovered 27 bodies till Monday when the operation was called off.

The Cargo vessel responsible for the accident has not been traced as yet. The BIWTA has announced an ex-gratia payment of Taka 1.5 lakh to families of the victims. Narayanganj district administration will provide Tk 25,000 to families of the victims to perform the last rites.

A probe has been ordered by the district administration to look into the cause of the accident.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs expressed condolences to the bereaved families expressing sadness at the tragic loss of lives in the ferry incident.