One missing after ferry capsizes in central Bangladesh

One person has gone missing after a ferry laden with nine vehicles and a still undetermined number of passengers capsized in the Padma River in central Bangladesh on Wednesday, January 17.

The ferry Rajanigandha-7 was approaching the Paturia ferry terminal in Manikganj district when the incident occurred at around 08:15 local time on Wednesday.

Local officials said the ferry capsized following a collision with another vessel. However, some of the survivors refuted the claim, saying instead that the ferry’s interior compartments were already flooded prior to the capsizing and that no collision took place.

A shipping official told reporters that a 39-year-old crewmember remains unaccounted for but assured that the passengers and the remaining crew have all been rescued.

The ferry had dropped anchor near the Paturia terminal earlier in the day on Wednesday after heavy fog prevented it from approaching its assigned jetty. The capsizing occurred shortly after the ferry resumed sailing and was only 200 metres away from the terminal.

One survivor accused the ferry’s crew of negligence due to their failure to inform the passengers about the water ingress that resulted in the capsizing.