Thousands stuck for hours

Dense fog halted Paturia-Daulatdia ferry service for hours, causing immense sufferings to hundreds of passengers.

 The service on the route resumed yesterday after ten and a half hours of disruption.

The authority stopped plying of ferries around 1:00am to avoid any accident, said Shafiqul Islam, manager (Commerce) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), Daulatdia office.

Seven ferries with passengers and vehicles got stranded in mid-river while seven other ferries remained anchored at Paturia ferry ghat and two ferries at Daulatdia ferry ghat for hours.

Over 500 vehicles were lined up at Paturia and Daulatdia ferry ghats due to suspension of the ferry service.

Due to the situation, over 6,000 passengers of 21 south and south western districts suffered a lot. Children and women were the worst sufferers.

They demanded second Padma Bridge on the route to end the years of sufferings, said locals.

The ferry service resumed around noon when the fog cleared, said Shafiqul.

For the last few days, fog disrupted ferry service on two Padma routes, causing immense sufferings to hundreds of passengers.

In Munshiganj, ferry service on Shimulia-Kawrakandi route was suspended for three and a half hours on Sunday.