Jamuna boat capsize death toll now 9

The death toll from the boat capsize in Jamuna River in Chouhali Upazila in Sirajganj district rose to eight with the recovery of one more body from the river on Friday. Locals recovered the body of Dilu Begum, 25, wife of Akter Hossain of Jotpara village in Chouhali, from a place in Pabna district in the afternoon. Earlier, eight bodies were found on Thursday after the boat carrying 50-60 people sank in the river due to strong current. Meanwhile, salvage ship ‘Asha-1’ of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) reached the spot on Friday morning. The ship along with five divers who came from Dhaka started the rescue operation in the morning. But they could not recover either any body or the sunken boat as of 8pm. Many people remained still missing in the boat capsize. Officer-in-charge Shamsul Haque of Chouhali Police Station and locals said the boat capsized in the due to strong current on Thursday, according to a news agency.