Two vessels capsize in Passur River, 4 missing

At least four people were missing after two vessels capsized in Passur River in the Sundarabns during a storm last night.

In Chandpai range of the Sundarbans, at least three people were missing after a fertiliser-laden cargo vessel capsized in the river at the Harbaria point in Mongla upazila.

The vessel, MD Harada, capsized during a heavy storm, our Bagerhat correspondent reports quoting Divisional Forest Officer (Sundarban-East Zone) Mahmudul Hasan.

Five crew members of the ship managed to swim ashore but three others remain missing, the official said.

A rescue operation will start as soon as possible after determining the cargo’s location, said Durul Huda Harbour Master of Mongla Port Authority.

Meanwhile, another vessel carrying around 20-25 workers went missing at basecreek area of Passur channel, says Durul Huda.

The vessel, MV Akther, capsized after hitting a foreign vessel around 8:45pm during the storm, the official added.

Most of the workers managed to swim ashore, however, one crew member named Shah Alam, an operator of the launch remained missing when this report was filed around 12:50pm.