At least 24 dead after boat sinks in Bangladesh

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Sep 2022 16:11

More than a dozen individuals remain missing as authorities search for bodies after a boat tipped over in the Karotoa river, Bangladesh.

A scene from the river where the boat capsized (The Sun Daily)

After a boat capsized on Sunday in the middle of the Karotoa river near the town of Boda in northern Bangladesh, police reported 24 people dead and several dozen more missing.

Local police official Shafiqul Islam told AFP, "We have recovered 23 bodies. Firefighters and divers are searching for more bodies," adding that the boat was carrying 50 Hindu pilgrims as they were traveling to the centuries-old Bodeshwari temple.

Sunday was the start of the Durga Puja, the biggest Hindu festival in Bangladesh and eastern India during which crowds travel to the temple for celebrations.

Another police source stated that up to 25 people are still missing and local media reported at least 10 people were rescued and admitted to the hospital.

Boat capsizing incidents are common in the country due to poor maintenance and overcrowding of the boats. In June 2021, a ferry sank in Dhaka after crashing into another vessel, leaving 32 people dead, and before that, an overcrowded boat collided with a cargo vessel in a river killing 78 people on board in 2015.