Sarail launch capsizeclaims 27 lives

Twenty-seven bodies have been recovered from the Megna river after an overloaded launch sank at Sarail in the Meghna river early on Thursday, report agencies. Sarail Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Helal Uddin said the rescue operation was going on and until 4pm 27 bodies had been retrieved. The rescue operations started around 1pm, nine hours after the disaster at Rajapur, with the arrival of divers from Dhaka. Many more still remain missing, he said adding BIWTA salvage ship MV Rustam has started for the site from Dhaka. Brahmanbaria's deputy commissioner Mohammed Abdul Mannan was overseeing the rescue activities. The passenger launch was heading for Sunamganj district's Sachna from Bhairab of Kishoreganj with more than 100 passengers on board and capsized in the mighty river around 4am, Brahmanbaria superintendent of police Jamil Ahmed said. Passengers were asleep when the launch sank after it hit the wreck of a goods-laden cargo vessel that had sunken a couple of days ago, they said. A few of the passengers managed to swim ashore, but most of them remained trapped inside the sunken double-decker ferry, locals said. Meanwhile, ten divers of BIWTC continued the search for victims inside the sunken launch whose top is seen above the water. Hit hard by the sunken cargo ferry, a big hole was created at the bottom of the launch. Gradually it capsized at the dead of night. Some of the panic-stricken and crying passengers were rescued by a few boats around. A few others managed to swim ashore. Locals rescued three or four bodies before the BIWTC rescue team arrived. Deputy commissioner Abdul Mannan along with the BIWTC divers from Bhairab reached the spot at about noon. Asked about the inordinate delay in starting the rescue operation, the deputy commissioner said the divers were not immediately available. Of the 27 bodies, 14 were identified as Angura Begum,35, her daughter Tanjina,1, Babu,35, Shyema alias Nanni,35, Sonia,20, Taslima,22, Fayzunnesa,60, Nagendra Babu,50, Abu Kawsar,15, Shyema Bibi,75, Parshuram Das,35, Jahera Khatun,45, Shoma Begum,32, Hatem Tai,10. The identified bodies were taken away by their relatives for burial. District administration announced a grant of Tk 2,000 for burial of each unidentified body.