Dense fog disrupts ferry service
Ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia and Mawa-Kawrakandi routes were disrupted for over four hours till around 9 yesterday morning due to dense fog.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) officials said, four roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferries Shah Poran, Amanat Shah, Bir Shrestha Motiur Rahman and Shah Ali with hundreds of vehicles were forced to anchor in the middle of Padma river from around 4:45am due to the poor visibility, reports our Manikganj correspondent.
The ferry movement, however, resumed around 9:15am as the weather gradually became fair with the increase of sunshine, they said.
The disruption caused immense suffering to hundreds of people who remained stranded on the ferries and on both the ghats (terminals).
Around 300 vehicles including buses, goods-laden trucks and private cars at Daulatdia Ghat and nearly 200 at Paturia Ghat could not move till 9:15am, sources said.
The over four-hour halt in movement of ferry led to 5-kilometer-long tailbacks on both ends with the capital-bound Eid passengers.
Bus and truck drivers and passengers said operation of ferry between Daulatdia and Paturia virtually stopped after Sunday midnight because of thick fog.
Four Paturia-bound ferries with five dozen vehicles and around 1,500 passengers stopped in the midstream as vision was completely blocked by fog after the ferries left Daulatdia Ghat at 3.45am, they said.
According to our Madaripur correspondent, ferry services on Mawa-Kawrakandi route came to a halt early yesterday for over four hours till 8:30 in the morning.
Ferries were forced to remain anchored on mid-river due to dense fog.
Ferry 'Kakoli', which got stuck in a shoal with more than 12 vehicles at around 4:00am was rescued after 5 hours at 9:00am, officials said.
Besides, more than 500 vehicles remained stranded till morning at both the terminals.
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