DHAKA – At least 25 people were killed after a double-decker ferry carrying 50 passengers capsized following a collision with a cargo vessel in Bangladesh’s Shitalakhsya River on Sunday.
According to officials, rescue operation is still underway as nine passengers are still missing.
The ferry was hit by the cargo vessel from the rear and it immediately sank in the river, near the capital Dhaka.
The incident happened around 6 p.m. local time (1200 GMT/UTC), soon after the boat left the city of Narayanganj for the neighboring Munshiganj district.
The passengers were rushing to their hometowns after the government announced a lockdown from Monday to control the spread of the COVID-19 cases in the country.
Bangladesh reported a record 7,087 coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking its total number of cases to 637,364 with 9,266 deaths.
Pakistan has expressed sadness on the loss of lives in Bangladesh.
Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in a launch capsize in #Shitalakkhya River, Bangladesh. Heartfelt condolences to the govt. and brotherly people of Bangladesh and the bereaved families.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) April 5, 2021
“Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in a launch capsize in #Shitalakkhya River, Bangladesh. Heartfelt condolences to the govt. and brotherly people of Bangladesh and the bereaved families,” tweeted Foreign Office.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/plane-carrying-asad-umar-other-passengers-develops-technical-fault-mid-air/