5 dead as trawler capsizes in Turag River, several still missing

The bodies of four children and a woman have been recovered so far after a trawler with around 20 people capsized in the Turag River near the Amin Bazar area of Savar, on the outskirts of capital Dhaka.

The trawler sank in the early hours of Saturday following a collision with a sand-carrying vessel, according to Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Fire Service divers recovered the bodies of two children and the woman soon after the rescue operation started in the morning.

The bodies of two more children were recovered one kilometre off the spot around 4:30pm, Aminbazar police outpost In-Charge Sabur Alam told UNB.

Of the five victims, three were identified as Shiuli Aktar, 27, Rupon, 4, and Arman, 3. The two other children and several people who are still missing are yet to be identified.

The trawler was reportedly carrying 18 passengers.

Savar police OC Kazi Mazharul Islam told UNB that at least eight people had managed to swim to safety after the trawler sank.

According to the officials at the scene, the Gabtoli-bound passenger vessel departed from Amin Bazar in the morning with at least 18 passengers. It sank with multiple passengers after the collision with the cargo vessel in the middle of Turag.

The trawler that sank in Turag River in the early hours of Saturday, October 9, 2021 | Dhaka TribuneOn information, divers from the local fire service station rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.

Rescuers pulled up the sunken trawler around 3pm and took it to Koylar Ghat.

River police's Senior SP Khandaker Faridul Islam told reporters that they did not find any other body on the vessel. "Strong current disrupted the rescue efforts."

One of the survivors, Monir Hossain, said eight of the other 17 passengers were his family members. "The collision happened around 5:30am. Three members of my family and I managed to swim ashore, but the other five went missing,” he told Bangla Tribune.

“There was fog on the river. Maybe the boat drivers were having trouble seeing. The cargo vessel had hit our boat right in the middle, overturning it in moments,” Monir recalled.

Senior SP Islam said that river police will file a murder case over the incident. The dead bodies will be handed over after autopsies and the identification process, he added.

Dinmoni Sharma, deputy director of Fire Service Dhaka Division, said their divers suspended the rescue operation at 6pm and will resume on Sunday morning.