26 Killed in Bangladesh Boat Accident

At least 26 people were killed when a speedboat packed with passengers collided with a vessel transporting sand on Monday in the latest maritime disaster to hit Bangladesh.
Police
said the speedboat carrying about three dozen passengers from the town of Mawa
rammed into the other vessel in the Padma river as it neared the main river
station in the central rural town of Shibchar.
"We have so far recovered 26 bodies
including a woman. We have also rescued five injured people including three
children," police official Amir Hossain told AFP.
Hossain
said the bow of the passenger boat was destroyed when the speedboat smashed
into the side of the transport vessel, sinking in the river in minutes.
"Police, the fire brigade and army
rescue teams are on the spot, conducting search and rescue work," he said.
Witness
Abdur Rahman said there was a loud noise when the boats collided and the
vessels then overturned.
"When we rushed to the spot we found
the speedboat torn into two pieces. Hundreds of villagers immediately started
conducting rescue work before they were joined by police and the fire
brigade," he said.
Bangladesh
is building the country's largest road and railway bridge near the accident
spot and police said officers were immediately at the scene.
Construction
work has slowed ferry transport on the river, prompting many to take the
journey on less safe speedboats, which take only about 15 minutes to make the
crossing in contrast to up to two hours on safer ferries.
The
government administrator of Shibchar district said up to five people were
believed to be missing.
He
said the driver of the speedboat would be investigated as he appeared to have
hit the transport vessel, which was moored at the time.
"A probe has been ordered into the
accident," he said.
Maritime
accidents are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation crisscrossed by hundreds of
rivers.
Experts
blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding for
many of the accidents.
Vessels
transporting sand sit low in the water and can be hard to see in choppy
conditions, particularly when light is poor.
In
early April, more than 30 people died when a packed ferry with around 50
passengers hurrying home from the central city of Narayanganj ahead of an
impending coronavirus lockdown collided with a larger cargo vessel.
In
June last year, a ferry sank in Dhaka after it was hit from behind by another
ferry, killing at least 32 people.
In February 2015, at least 78 people died when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo boat.