Sunamganj boat capsize claims 12 lives

SYLHET, Feb 4 (UNB): The death toll from the boat plunge in the Surma River at Protapur village in Dowarabazar upazila of Sunamganj has jumped to 12 with the recovery of five more bodies (Tuesday).
Thirty four victims still remain missing.
Jabed Hossain M Tarique, senior station officer of Sylhet Fire Service and Civil Defence and also leader of the rescue team for the incident, said they recovered five more bodies till 9:15am in addition to the seven earlier, raising the death figure to 11.
On Monday, the engine of a Netrakona-bound boat, carrying more than 100 passengers, from Companyganj of Sylhet caught fire from its furnace abruptly on the river around 8:30pm and sank as its passengers started moving in fear.
Later, locals recovered the burnt bodies of three people from the river and rescued about 60 people on that night while about 35 more people had remained missing, said Protapur village union parishad member Nanu Miah.
On information, Dowarabazar thana police and firefighters rushed to the spot and recovered four more bodies from different places of the river.
They were trying to find out the missing as of filing this report at 11:30am.
Sunamganj superintendent of police Harunur Rashid said the fire originated from a kerosene stove of the boat, most passengers of which were day labourers.