Buriganga boat capsize: Death toll reaches 5

The death toll from Thursday’s boat capsize reached to five after Fire Service and Civil Defence recovered four bodies from Buriganga river today.

The bodies of Meem, 8, her uncle Delwar, 35, her cousin Zunair, 6-month-old, and her brother Mahi, 6, were recovered between 7:30am and 12:30pm, Kamrul Islam, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters, told The Daily Star.

The bodies were floating in the Buriganga near Old Dhaka river port, he said.

Six members of a family went missing when a boat capsized in the Buriganga river after being hit by a launch in the city's Sadarghat area on Thursday night.

The body of Jamshida Begum, 30, wife of Delwar, was recovered yesterday. Firefighters are continuing search operation for the last missing person Shahida alias Rashida, who is the mother of Mahi and Meem, the fire service said.

Shahida's husband Shahjalal, 35, who was injured during the incident and managed to swim ashore, is now undergoing treatment at National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor), popularly known as Pangu Hospital, his nephew (sister’s son) Badshah Mia told The Daily Star.

He also said the launch that hit the boat carrying the family members cannot escape the responsibility of the incident. “We want justice for the victims and compensation for the victims’ family members,” Badsha added.   

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FAMILY?

The boat sank near the Sadarghat Launch Terminal around 10:00pm on Thursday night as the launch, 'MV Suravi-7' hit it.

They were residing in Kamrangirchar area of the city and going to the launch terminal to go to their home in Shariatpur district.

Shahida's husband Shahjalal, 35, managed to swim ashore soon after the incident, according to police.