Buriganga Launch Capsize: Death Toll Rises to 32

The death toll from the fatal collision between two launches on the Buriganga River increased to 32 after two more bodies were pulled from the river.

The incident occurred near Dhaka's Shyambazar around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, according to the Fire Service.

The launch, Morning Bird, was on its way to Sadarghat from Munshiganj when it collided with Chandpur's Moyuri-2 vessel, BIWTA Transport Inspector Md Selim said.

Morning Bird were carrying more than 50 passengers, and some of them swam ashore. The other passengers were trapped inside the vessel, reports media.

Divers from the fire service subsequently arrived on the scene and began the rescue operation together with Navy and Coast Guard personnel.

The rescuers recovered 30 bodies from the Buriganga River, including three children, eight women, and 19 men, until Monday afternoon. Two more passengers were declared dead after they were taken to hospital.

However, the authorities could not immediately identify the dead or confirm the number of missing passengers.

Later, some locals saved two more passengers and rushed them to Mitford Hospital, where the doctors pronounced them dead, according to Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Maruf Hossain Sarder.

Witnesses said that the Mayuri-2 was heading backwards as it prepared to dock at the Sadarghat terminal for Chandpur after unloading passengers at the Lalkuthi terminal when the vessel smashed into the Morning Bird, which had sailed behind it.

Director-General of the Fire Service Brig-Gen Sazzad Hussain said that the vessel was flipped at the bottom of the river near the place of the crash, rendering it impossible for divers to reach the sunken launch and check for more bodies.