Stone-laden lighter vessel capsizes in Karnaphuli

A lighter vessel carrying 1,100 tonnes of imported stone capsized in the river Karnaphuli near Karnaphuli 3rd Bridge this morning.

All the 13 crewmen are safe as they jumped on to adjoining boats and vessels sensing danger, said police and witnesses.

MV Sea Crown that remained tied to a private terminal near Old Ferryghat at Isanagar on the south bank of the river capsized into the river around 9:30am after a crack developed on its button, said Mohammad Alamgir, officer-in-charge (OC) of Karnaphuli Police Station.

After loading stones from a mother vessel MV Bravo Trader at the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port, the lighter vessel reached the terminal Wednesday evening and was waiting there for the unloading, which was supposed to start this morning, said MA Rony, secretary of the office of Bangladesh Lighterage Workers Union.

As the vessel got stuck in the stone-made embankment on the river bank during the Nor’wester early today, its owning firm Mamata Trading with the help of its another tug boat tried to move it since morning but failed, he said.

At one stage of the attempt, a crack developed on its bottom and it immediately sank, said Rony, who witnessed the incident.