Boat incident in Bangladesh causes 24 deaths, dozens missing
At least 24 people died and dozens more went missing after a boat capsized in a river in Bangladesh.
The overcrowded boat capsized Sunday afternoon as it returned from a Hindu temple across the Karatoa River in the Panchagarh district’s Boda area, according to local police chief SM.
Huda, Sirajul Divers, and locals recovered at least 24 bodies Sunday night, he said, adding that the victims included at least 12 women and eight children. Many passengers, he said, swam ashore.
According to another official, up to 25 people are still missing. According to local media, at least ten people were rescued and hospitalized.
Thousands of Hindus from predominantly Muslim Bangladesh visit the Bodeshwari Temple every year. Durga Puja, the biggest Hindu festival in Bangladesh and neighboring eastern India, started on Sunday, drawing large crowds to the temple.
Boat incident in Bangladesh causes 24 deaths, dozens missing
Hundreds of people die each year in ferry accidents in Bangladesh, a low-lying country with vast inland waterways but lax safety standards.
At least 26 people died in May after an overloaded speedboat collided with a sand-laden bulk carrier and sank on the Padma River. In December, nearly 50 people were killed and more than 70 injured when a ferry caught fire in the rural southern town of Jhalokati.
In June 2020, a ferry sank in Dhaka after colliding with another ship, killing dozens of people. At least 78 people were killed in February 2015 when an overcrowded ship collided with a freighter in a river west of the capital.
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