Seven more bodies pulled out, Padma ferry disaster deaths climb to 78

Seven more bodies were pulled out from the river in Manikganj’s Shibalay and Harirampur Upazilas on Wednesday morning.

Six of the bodies were identified and handed over to their families, Paturia river police outpost Sub-Inspector Abdul Khalel told reporters.

Authorities called off the rescue operation on Monday after the ferry was tugged to the banks.

Fire service rescuers, however, have kept up the search for victims, said Manikganj Fire Brigade’s Station Officer Jihad Hossain.

Seven people were still missing, according to their families.

The ferry, carrying 150 passengers and crew, capsized after colliding with a trawler on the river Padma. Rescuers managed to save at least 50 passengers, Harun told Reuters.

Police have seized the trawler and arrested the captain and his three crew, Harun said.

Twenty-seven of the bodies recovered were inside the ferry, Harun said. Another 43 bodies were pulled from the water on Sunday, more than half of them women and children, he said. Rescue attempts had now ended.

A similar accident on Feb. 13 killed at least seven passengers in southern Bangladesh.

Low-lying Bangladesh, with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards, suffers regular ferry disasters. Death tolls sometimes run into the hundreds.

The ferry had been heading to Paturia from Daulatdia in Rajbari, about 135 km (85 miles) west of the capital Dhaka. Shajahan Khan, the shipping minister, told reporters at the scene that an investigation had been opened.

Wednesday 25 February 2015

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