Fog disrupts flights, ferry services

Dense fog disrupted flight operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Kathalbari routes causing immense sufferings to the passengers yesterday.

A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Kuala Lumpur-Dhaka route scheduled to land at the airport at 6:49am was diverted to Yangon in Myanmar, AKM Rezaul Karim, public relations officer of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), told The Daily Star.

Another Singapore-Dhaka flight of US-Bangla Airlines scheduled to land at 7:15am was diverted to Chittagong, the CAAB official said.

Vehicles are stuck in gridlock near Paturia ghat in Manikganj as ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route remained suspended for nearly seven hours since 1:45am yesterday. The photo was taken around 8:00am. Photo: Star

All outbound domestic flights scheduled to fly from Dhaka in the morning were delayed by two to three hours. At least 12 flights of three airlines were scheduled to take off for different domestic destinations yesterday.

Met office has meanwhile said the ongoing mild cold wave might turn into moderate cold wave after two days.

Mohammad Shahinul Islam, meteorologist of Dhaka Met Office, said a mild cold wave is active in the country that might turn to moderate cold wave on January 26. The northern parts of the country would be the worst sufferers of the cold wave, he cautioned.

FERRY SERVICES

Ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Kathalbari routes in the Padma river resumed yesterday morning after around seven to nine hours of suspension due to the dense fog.

The services on Paturia-Daulatdia route remained suspended from 1:45am to 9:15am said Shafiqul Islam, manager (commerce) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) in Daulatdia.

Five ferries with passengers and vehicles were stuck in the middle of the river, five others were stranded at Paturia ghat in Manikganj and six others were anchored at Daulatdia ghat in Rajbari.

Several thousand passengers on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Kathalbari routes were stuck for more than nine hours on both sides of the river.

People, especially women and children, have been suffering badly as ferry services were disrupted since yesterday midnight resulting in huge traffic congestion on both routes, report our correspondents.

Ferry movement on Shimulia-Kathalbari route was also suspended for more than nine hours from midnight to 9:30am yesterday due to the dense fog, writes our Munshiganj correspondent.

Five ferries were stuck in the middle of the Padma during this time, while huge traffic gridlock was created on both sides of the river as more than 500 vehicles were stranded on both sides.

Four more ferries at Shimulia side could not start their operation due to the fog.

Manager of BIWTC Gias Uddin Patowari said they were forced to suspend the ferry services as ferries could not move forward due to the fog.