Trawler capsize in Meghna: Death toll rises to 6

The death toll from Friday's trawler-bulk carrier collision on Meghna rose to 6 as 3 more bodies were recovered from the sunken trawler today.

Three people remain missing following the incident that took place between Kishoreganj's Bhairab and Brahmanbaria's Ashuganj, our Brahmanbaria correspondent reports quoting River Police (Kishoreganj) Superintendent of Police Abdullah Al Mamun.

The three bodies recovered today are Mahmuda Sultana Iva, 7, daughter of Bhairab Highway Police Station's constable Sohel Rana; Rupa Dey, 30, of Bhairab's Amlapara; and Anika Akter, 18, a college student in Narsingdi's Belabo upazila.

The three missing are constable Sohel Rana, 34, his five-year-old son Raisul and Belon Dey, 45, of Katiadi upazila in Kishoreganj.

The three bodies were found inside the sunken trawler around 3:00pm, hours after the trawler was recovered this noon.

The search operation will continue until the missing people are found, said Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) deputy director Ubayedul Karim Khan.

Divers were conducting a rescue operation for the three missing people near Charsonarampur village, he added.

The trawler with 21 people on board sank in the river after it collided with the bulk carrier coming from the opposite direction on Friday.

A woman's body was recovered on Friday and two more bodies were recovered from the river yesterday.

Meanwhile, a case was filed against the bulk carrier operator and engine driver in connection with the incident. Abdul Alim, father of missing constable Sohel Rana, filed the case with Ashuganj Police Station around 10:00pm last night.

Though the case was filed with Ashuganj Police Station, its Officer-in-charge (OC) Nahid Ahmed said Bhairab River Police Outpost will investigate the incident.

"They (Bhairab police) have already started the probe," he added.

Inspector KM Moniruzzaman Chowdhury, in-charge of Bhairab River Police Outpost, said the primary investigation suggests that the accident was caused due to the negligence of the bulk carrier crew and its engine driver. Efforts are on to bring them to the book, the inspector said.

When contacted, Abdul Alim, plaintiff of the case, said, "It's not an accident, it's a murder. I lost everything because of the incident. I demand punishment for those who are guilty."