500 evacuated after launch hull cracks in Chandpur
Nearly 500 people have escaped narrowly after the hull of a passenger launch cracked open mid-river in Chandpur’s Matlab North upazila.
The launch ‘MV Glory of Srinagar-2’ is now stranded in Dhashani area after the collision at 10:00pm last night, our local correspondent reports.
Launch master Nur-e-Alam told The Daily Star, the vessel collided with a bulkhead ship in the dark. “The bulkhead did not have a light on.”
According to him, he quickly managed to berth the vessel ashore and save it from capsize, evacuating “all the 300 passengers and staff” on board.
Md Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Mohanpur River Police, told The Daily Star the launch was overcarrying and there were 500 people on board.
“We did not find evidence of a collision. The launch was old and carrying beyond capacity. This is why the hull breached mid-river,” he said.
It has been confirmed that apart from the passengers, there are goods worth several lakhs at the lower deck, which were yet to be removed.
River police safely transferred the stranded passengers to another launch around midnight.
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