Three go missing as boat capsizes in Karnaphuli

Three people have gone missing after a goods-laden engine-run boat capsized in the river Karnaphuli yesterday morning.

Boat owner Mohammad Zakaria said the vessel with vegetables and commodities -- including rice and lentil -- sank around 5am while it was on the way to Kutubdia from Chaktai canal.

Seven persons could be rescued by the people of a trawler heading for the same destination while three others -- the boatman and two vegetable traders -- remained missing. Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Md Omar Faruk said the boat capsized at the Karnaphuli channel near buoy No. 5 but vessel movement was not hampered.

The reason behind the accident could not be known, he said, adding that a rescue team from the port on a vessel rushed to the spot, salvaged the boat and shifted it to Ghat No. 15 of the river.

Port officials, however, suspect that crack might have developed in the bottom of the boat due to overloading.

Coastguards and other agencies was engaged in search of the missing persons, said Omar Faruk. Vegetables and commodities are transported from Chaktai on boats to Kutubdia and other coastal areas using the Karnaphuli channel.