Shitalakkhya Launch Capsize: Rescuers Retrieve 2 More Bodies

Two more bodies have been recovered on the third day of a search operation along the Shitalaykkhya river after a passenger launch struck by a cargo ship sank in Narayanganj, reports media.

Sub-Inspector of Narayanganj sadar river police station Hafizur Rahman said they recovered the bodies around 9am.

One of the deceased was identified as Abdullah Al Jaber, 30, and a three-year-old child's identity could not be ascertained yet.

Four people, including a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, were still missing as of Monday night, according to Moniruzzaman, chief of Narayanganj Sadar River Police. The list of missing people could come down to two once the bodies of the victims retrieved on Tuesday are identified, he said.

Divers are still looking for more bodies over a search radius spanning a few kilometres, according to Arefin.

The cargo vessel MV Rupshi-9, owned by City Group, bore down on the side of the launch, ML Ashraf Uddin-2, with great force and eventually plunged it into the water near the coal market in Sonakanda on Sunday.

The launch was heading to Munshiganj with more than 50 passengers on board at the time, according to River Police. Many of the passengers were able to swim ashore, but several others were reported missing.

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority later salvaged the launch on Monday.

The authorities also brought charges of culpable homicide against the crew of Rupshi-9. Police have since remanded eight crew members, including the ship's master Ramzan Ali, for questioning in the case.