Five drown in boat capsize

Rescuers continue their search for victims after an engine-run boat capsized in the river Karnaphuli in Boalkhali upazila, Chittagong yesterday. Photo: STAR

At least five men drowned and another five reportedly went missing as an over-loaded engine-run boat capsized in the river Karnaphuli at Boalkhali upazila yesterday.
They dead were all workers of FMC Corporation Dock Yard. Three people who were injured in the accident were under treatment in Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and Boalkhai health complex.
The deceased were identified as Rahamat Ali, 22, of Pachhim Gomdandi; Nayan Miah, 30, of Netrokona; Mohammad Masud, 25, of Netrakona; Emran Hossain of Khulsi, Chittagong; and Abul Kasem, 50, of Pachhim Shakhpura, Boalkhai.
Quoting witnesses, Boalkhali Officer-in-Charge Jahirul Haque Sabuj said the boat carrying some 50 workers of the under-construction dockyard capsized as it was overloaded. “We suspected that five were missing while the rest people swam ashore safety”.
However, Md Aslam, a survivor and worker of the dockyard, said around 80-90 people boarded on the boat.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Dilshad Begum said locals started the rescue effort and Coast Guard men and fire fighters joined the operation afterwards.
Ruhul Amin, deputy director of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence Department, Chittagong said a rescue team from Agrabad fire station is searching for more bodies in the river.