8 Dead in Munshiganj Picnic Trawler Capsize

After a picnic trawler sunk in a branch of the River Padma close to Subchani Bazar in the Tongibari upazila of Munshiganj on Saturday night (5 August), at least eight persons have died and several more are still missing.

The fire brigade had to postpone rescue attempts on Sunday night at 2am owing to bad weather; they began again at 7am.

According to eyewitnesses, the picnic trawler struck a bulkhead last night at 8 p.m. and promptly sunk.

"At that time, 34 people were able to swim ashore, but many drowned," they said.

The Louhajang Fire Service launched a rescue effort right away but had to halt it around two in the morning owing to inclement weather.

At 7 a.m. today, a dive crew from the Bangladesh Navy took over the rescue operations.

Eight bodies have been found, according to Kayes Ahmed, an officer at the Louhajang Fire Service Station.

There were 50 individuals onboard the boat, according to Md Sekander Bepari, chairman of the Outshahi Union Parishad.

Suman Dev, the additional superintendent of police for finance and administration in Munshiganj, was unable to confirm the number of fatalities and those reported missing.

A five-person committee led by Additional District Magistrate Sharmin Ara has been created to look into the event, according to Munshiganj's deputy commissioner Md Abu Zafar Ripon. 

"The committee has been asked to submit the investigation report within the next three working days," the DC said.

He also said that the Munshiganj district administration is paying Tk25,000 for the burial of the deceased.