Eight killed in Bangladesh boat capsize

Dhaka (IANS). At least eight people were killed when a boat carrying 46 people capsized in a tributary of the Padma river in Bangladesh’s Munshiganj district. Local officials gave this information.

The incident took place around 8 pm on Saturday night when the ferry carrying passengers overturned after colliding with a sand-laden boat in a river about 30 km from the capital Dhaka.

“With the help of the local people, the bodies of three women, three children and two men have been retrieved so far,” Rafi Al Farooq, a duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defense Headquarters, told Xinhua.

After the incident, most of the passengers managed to swim to shore as the boat capsized close to the river bank, the official said. At least four people have been rescued.

“So far, we have recovered the bodies of eight people and four of them have been sent to a local hospital. Two bodies, including a child, are on the river bank,” Lohajung Fire Service station officer Qais Ahmad said, according to the Dhaka Tribune.