\\\'Rustam\\\' salvaging sunken launch

Rescue and salvage operations continued on Tuesday morning braving strong currents and matching waves after a passenger Launch sank with over 300 on board in the Padma River near Munshiganj’s Louhajang Upazila on Monday. Survivors blamed carrying passengers beyond the launch’s capacity for the accident. ‘Pinak-6’, on its way to Munshiganj’s Mawa from Madaripur’s Kewrakandi, overturned at Louhajang turning point near the Mawa Ferry Ghat around 11am on Monday. So far, two bodies have been found and 110 people rescued while relatives of 120 missing passengers have contacted the local administration. Bodies of Nusrat Jahan Heera, 20, and another unidentified 50-year-old woman were retrieved around 1:30pm on Monday, Louhajang Police Station OC Tofazzal Hossain said. Heera, from Madaripur’s Shibchar, was a second-year MBBS student at Shikdar Medical College and was returning to her college after Eid vacation. The double-decker medium-sized launch had the capacity to ferry 120-150 passengers but it was carrying around 350 people at the time of the accident, the OC said. A joint rescue operation started after salvage ship MV Rustam arrived at the site at around 10pm, according to bdnews24.com.