|
'Many didn't get time to jump'
19/05/2005 11:22 - (SA)
|
|
|
 |
|
| Relatives of people who died in a ferry capsize mourn in Manikganj district, Bangladesh. (Pavel Rahman, AP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Manikganj - Rescuers resumed a search on Thursday for up to 200 people still missing after a ferry capsized during a storm in Bangladesh, killing at least two people, police and officials said.
Strong currents and winds hit the overcrowded double-deck ferry ML Raipura on Tuesday as carried about 250 passengers toward a terminal on the Padma River in central Manikganj district, 40 kilometres northwest of the capital, Dhaka.
The body of a man was found in the river on Wednesday, bringing the known death toll to two, said local police officer Abu Bakr Siddiqui. A child's body was found on Tuesday. At least 50 people swam to shore.
Many of the approximately 200 people missing were feared trapped inside the sunken ferry. Rescuers were preparing to pull the vessel from the water after a salvage ship, Rustom, reached the scene early on Thursday.
Search efforts had been suspended overnight.
The boat was under about 10 metres of water, but strong currents and poor underwater visibility were hampering salvage work, rescuers said.
The Bangladesh navy was flying in special diving equipment.
Several survivors said the crew ignored calls to steer the boat to the nearest shore, and tried speeding to a nearby terminal when the storm started brewing.
'Many didn't get time to jump'
"When it suddenly became dark, we begged the crew to anchor at the nearest bank, but they asked us to go inside the cabins and shut the windows," said survivor Abdus Sattar. "Then, a gust of wind suddenly tilted the boat and it started sinking. Many didn't get time to jump."
The ferry, packed mostly with farm workers, was on its way to the Aricha terminal from neighbouring Pabna district when it capsized.
It was not clear if the crew members were among the missing.
One of the survivors was Mubarrak Mollah, a 45-year-old man travelling to the farming district of Manikganj to work in a rice farm. His 20-year-old son was missing.
"There were 16 people in my group ... all from one village. Only four of us survived," said Mollah, standing on the sandy riverbank.
The ferry was certified to carry 135 passengers, but more than 200 tickets were sold, said Abdur Rahim, secretary of a ferry owners' association.
The accident came after another ferry carrying a wedding party sank on Sunday in strong winds and high waves at the mouth of the Bura Gauranga River in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 88 people. The bride and groom were among the missing.
|
