'It's a miracle'...a passenger rescued alive from sunken launch after 12 hours

Fire Service and Civil Defence has claimed to have rescued a man from the sunken MV Rishan Morning Bird after 13 hours it capsized colliding with another vessel in Buriganga.

Confirming the matter to The Business Standard, Fire Service Director General (DG) Brig Gen Md Sazzad Hussain said, "It's a miracle. He might have been stuck in a room with enough oxygen, that's the only scientific reason behind his survival."

"Our divers found him alive while lifting up the sunken launch with air blower. Later he was sent to Mitford Hospital," said Shahidul Islam, staff officer of fire service. 

The rescued person has been identified as Sumon Bepari, 35, son of late Foisal Bepari of Munshiganj's Abdullahpur area.

However, details of the his survival could not be known immediately as the person was in shock and could not speak, the fire service official added.

A local diver, named Ratan, told The Business Standard that the rescued person might have found any air pocket in the sunken launch and managed to survive for this long time under the water. 

Brigadier General Rashid Un Nabi, director of Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital, told The Business Standard that the person has been admitted to the causality department and his oxygen saturation level is quite okay. 

"We will observe him till tomorrow then will decide he should leave or not," he added.

Rescued person's nephew Abul Mia told The Business Standard, "My uncle worked in fruits market at Old Dhaka's Badamtali and he was going to join his workplace."

So far 32 bodies have been recovered after the launch, carrying around 80 passengers, capsized in the Buriganga river after being hit by another larger vessel in Dhaka's Shyambazar area around 10am on Monday.