Bangladesh
Panchagarh Boat Capsize 32 killed after boat capsizes on Karatoya river in Panchagarh
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, Sept 26: At least 32 people were killed after a boat carrying devotees to a temple capsized in the Karatoya river of Boda Upazila of Panchagarh.
The accident took place on Sunday (September 25) around 2:30 in the afternoon at Aulia Ghat area of Madea Union of the upazila. At least 63 people are reported to be missing in this incident. The death toll may rise further.
Boda Upazila Executive Officer Md. Soleman Ali said that a shallow engine boat with more than 80 passengers was going to Badeshwari Temple in Barashashi Union from Aulia Ghat in Madea Bazar area on the occasion of Autumn Durgotsav Mahalaya. After some distance from the wharf, the boat started rocking. At one stage the boat overturned and capsized.
He said that the process of identifying the bodies is going on. After identification, the bodies will be handed over to the families. The district administration will give Tk 20,000 each to the families of the deceased.
In this incident, the fire service Rangpur diver team started the rescue work with the accident boat to find the rest of the missing people. Most of the people who died in this worst accident in the history of the district were women and children. The bodies of some of them have been handed over to their relatives.
Locals said, on the occasion of Mahalaya, Hindu devotees of Boda, Panchpir, Madea, and Banghari areas were going to Badeswari temple by boat at noon. The boat overturned in the middle of the river due to overcrowding. Some people swam to the river bank but many drowned in the river.
Most of the passengers on the boat are still missing. Later the locals rescued the overturned boat and put it on the shore. After the arrival of the fire service, since no big boat was found nearby, the diver team started the rescue work with the boat that was involved in the accident. After the recovery of the bodies of 25 people on Sunday, the search in the river was temporarily stopped at night. After that, when the search operation began on Monday morning, seven more bodies were recovered.
According to the fire service, rescue work was started with that boat as no boat was found immediately.
