3 arrested in Munshiganj trawler-bulkhead accident
At least two people were killed and two are still missing as a trawler capsized after a bulkhead collided with it in a tributary of Padma on 16 December
Three labourers of the Dakshin Dashani bulkhead which collided with a trawler resulting in its capsize have been arrested in Munshiganj.
On 16 December, a trawler on the way to Hasail Ghat with 40-50 passengers capsized after a bulkhead collided with it at a tributary of Padma in Tongibari upazila of Munshiganj. At least two people were killed and two are still missing.
The three workers of the bulkhead were arrested from the engine room of the bulkhead on Sunday (17 December) evening, confirmed Inspector-in-charge of Munshiganj Sadar Char Abdullah Naval Police Outpost Md Hasnat Zaman.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The arrested are an engineer of the bulkhead Hanif Niazi, 50, and workers Md Hanif, 20, and Nakib Hasan 20.
Naval police handed them over to Tongibari police station and they will be presented in court today, said Inspector Md Hasnat Zaman.
He said the driver of the bulkhead fled after the incident, and the three workers were hiding in the oil drum in the engine room of the seized bulkhead to avoid public outrage.
Driver of the capsized trawler, Abdullah, filed a case against five people including bulkhead owner on Sunday night, following which Naval police searched the bulkhead and arrested the three workers in the same night.
The bulkhead is owned by someone named Md Nurul Islam from Dasani area of Matlab upazila of Chandpur, said the police official.
On 16 December evening, the trawler left for Hasail Ghat with 40-50 passengers from Hasail Char in Munshiganj. Meanwhile, the bulkhead named Dakshin Dashani was going towards the main river through the tributaries of Padma to fetch sand from Chandpur.
At around 6:30pm, the bulkhead rammed into the trawler. Later, the bodies of Faiza Akhter, 6, daughter of Md Faruk from Kashipur area of Fatullah thana in Narayanganj and Shifa, 15, daughter of Nazrul Byapari of Mandra area of Panchgaon union in Munshiganj's Tongibari upazila were recovered.
A rescue boat of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) reached the site around 2:15am Sunday. With the help of locals, the sunken trawler was pulled out of the river after about an hour of effort.
BIWTA Deputy Director and rescue vehicle commander Obaidul Karim said, BIWTA, naval police, coast guard, and fire service conducted operations throughout the day. The sunken trawler was recovered during the operation. Rescue operations are underway to find those missing, he added.
