Wails of grief drown out festivities
At least 24 people died as a boat carrying passengers far beyond its capacity capsized in the Karatoa river in Panchagarh yesterday afternoon.
Twelve women and eight children were among the victims, most of whom were Hindu pilgrims.
The death toll is likely to rise further as at least 65 passengers were reported missing. Firefighters were conducting rescue operations till the filing of this report at 1:00am today.
According to police, there were only 20 survivors.
Witnesses and survivors said there were more than 100 passengers on the boat that had a capacity of 50.
Deep into the night, the bank of the river in Awalia Ghat area of the district's Boda upazila was full of relatives of missing passengers, desperate to get news that would dispel their worst fears.
Videos of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed the boat moving slowly before suddenly tilting to one side and overturning.
Some passengers were seen trying to swim ashore as panicked locals screamed.
The victims are: Piyanta, 2; Bishnu, 3; Dipankar, 3; Ushoshi, 8; Tanushree, 5; Shreyoshi; Priyonti, 8; Shyamoli Rani, 14; Lakhsmi Rani, 25; Shova Rani, 27; Amal Chandra, 35; Tara Rani, 25; Rupali alias Khuki Rani, 35; Promila Rani, 55; Banobala, 60; Sunita Rani, 60; Falguni, 45, Promila Debi, 70; Jyetish Chandra, 55; Soneka Rani, 60; Safolota Rani, 60; Hashem Ali, 70; Bilash Chandra, 45; and Shyamoli Rani alias Shimuli, 35.
The names of the victims were confirmed by the five-member committee, led by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Dipankar Roy, formed to investigate the incident.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed condolences for the victims and their families.
The pilgrims were travelling to the centuries-old Bodeshwari Temple to attend a gathering on the occasion of Mahalaya, which is observed six days before the Hindu festival Durga Puja.
"After the boat travelled a small distance from Awalia ghat, it started swaying. Sensing danger, the boatman tried to turn the boat back to the ghat but it tilted to one side and overturned," said Mukul Chandra Roy, who managed to swim ashore along with his wife Joyonti Rani.
The boat capsized around 100 feet from the bank, witnesses said.
One of the passengers who survived was Prafulla Roy, but his wife Suchitra Rani and two-year-old son were among those missing. After the boat capsized, Prafulla took his son and started swimming towards the river bank, but lost his grip at one point.
Around 10:00pm, this correspondent found the grief-stricken man still waiting by the river, while Suchitra's mother Sumitra Rani kept staring at the water.
Abdul Khalek, a labourer of the area, rowed a boat into the river to help in the rescue.
He told this correspondent that he rescued 13 people.
"You won't believe the desperation to stay alive unless you see it with your own eyes. So many people were lost in the river right in front of my eyes, and there was nothing to do," he said, breaking down in tears.
Asked whether there were any precautions to ensure safety of pilgrims, ADC Dipankar refused to make any comment and said they would be able to say more after the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad expressed profound shock at the incident.
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