Launch capsize death toll jumps to 44

The death toll from Thursday’s launch capsize in Meghna River in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj district climbed to 44 with the recovery of 13 more bodies on Saturday morning. Salvage vessel ‘Prottoy’, ‘Durbar’ and ‘Durjoy’ were making efforts to bring back the sunken launch – ‘MV Miraj-4’ – to normal position after it turned upside down on Friday afternoon, 24 hours after the accident. Twelve bodies were found to come drifting out of the overturned launch this (Saturday) morning. Later the rescuers retrieved another body from inside the vessel. Identities of the deceased could not be known. The Sureshwar-bound ‘MV Miraj-4’, carrying over 200 passengers sank in Daulatpur area near Gazaria Launch Ghat in Meghna River after it was caught by a violent storm around 3:30pm on Thursday. Eighteen bodies were recovered from the river till Friday while 13 others on Thursday. Forty-one bodies were handed over to the family members of the deceased. Gazaria Upazila Nirbahi Officer ATM Mahbubul Alam saidthe launch remained half-plunged 20 metres away from the river bank. The exact number of the missing people could not be known immediately, according to UNB.