A lighter vessel with 1,400 tonnes of scrap iron capsized at Karnaphuli River this morning.

All 12 crew members of the vessel -- Borni Prince-2 -- were rescued by staff of another lighter vessel crossing the river, said Ataul Karim, general secretary of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).

The vessel was loaded with 1,400 tonnes of scrap iron from a mother vessel at outer anchor in the bay yesterday evening.

After loading, the vessel imported by Abul Khair Group reached the river bank for unloading, Ataul said.

It mistakenly hit a port buoy and capsized at the spot, he added.

Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard members are now trying to salvage the vessel, our staff correspondent reports.