Cyclone Bulbul: 999 call saves 30 lives in Meghna
The call was immediately rerouted to the officer-in-charge of Hizla Upazila
A 999 call made at 2:58pm on Sunday by a local man named Ramzan has led to the rescue of 30 lives in Barishal.
Ramzan, in a shaky voice, told the police that one of the six anchored pontoons of a dredger used in excavation from the river Meghna had torn away with 35-30 workers ashore due to the cyclonic storm at Miachar of Barishal.
Watching the workers washed away in the heavy winds, he called 999 for help. The call was immediately rerouted to the officer-in-charge of Hizla Upazila, who notified the Barishal Police control room, the naval police and the coastguard, requesting an immediate rescue mission.
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Ignoring the hostile winds, the Hizla Upazila police and naval police jointly ran a rescue operation on an engine-led ship. A team of coastguards also rushed to the spot to rescue the workers.
After a two-hour operation, the jointly led team of police and naval police rescued 18 workers from the floating pontoon. Later, the team of coastguard rescued another 12 workers from the area.
