In 2014 Pinak 6 Launch sinks in Padma with over 200 passengers.

A passenger vessel sank with more than 200 passengers on board on Monday near Munshiganj's Louhajang Upazila in river Padma.


Launch sinks in Padma with over 200 passengers

Munshiganj Correspondent, bdnews24.com

Published: 2014-08-04 12:04:17.0 BdST Updated: 2014-08-04 21:28:32.0 BdST

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A passenger vessel sank with more than 200 passengers on board on Monday near Munshiganj's Louhajang Upazila in river Padma.
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Two bodies have been recovered so far.

Rescuers say that the salvage operation is being disrupted due to strong currents.

Louhajang Police Station OC Tofazzal Hossain told bdnews24.com that the vessel, Pinak-6, went down around 11.30am while it was heading towards Munshiganj's Mawa from Madaripur's Kewrakandi.

Two bodies were recovered until 1.30pm, he said.

Munshiganj's Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Saiful Islam said that 44 passengers were rescued until 12.15pm. Rescuers are searching for survivors around the area where the vessel sank.

Quoting Mawa port's Launch Owners' Association President Iqbal Hossain, OC Hossain said that over 200 passengers were on board the vessel.

A survivor of the sunken ferry, however, told reporters at the Mawa landing point that the vessel was carrying over 300 people.

He added that he saw nearby speed-boats rescuing 50 to 60 passengers of the sinking vessel until 1.30pm.

Rescuers comprising of police, fire service, coast guard, RAB, Army and Navy personnel have rushed to the spot at the Louhajang Turning Point in the river, accident site.

But a strong current was hampering their operation.

Locals had immediately started rescue work with trawlers and speedboats. Later, the coast guard and fire service joined them.

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has rushed to spot.

Munshiganj DC Md Saiful Islam said that BIWTA's rescue vessels MV Rustam and MV Hamza were heading to Munshiganj from Naryanganj and Barisal respectively.

On May 15, a passenger vessel sank at Munshiganj's Doulatpur area in river Meghna, which claimed 58 lives.
PASSENGER launch accidents in our inland waterways are becoming a recurrent phenomenon. The latest of these mishaps occurred only a few days ago, in which 54 invaluable lives were lost, when Shariatpur-bound launch 'MV Miraj-4,' carrying over 200 passengers, sank near Gazaria in the Meghna river after it was caught in a violent storm. Sadly, as days go by, the news of such tragic accidents fade away from our memory. In most countries that are blessed with natural inland waterways network, this mode of transport is considered as safe, low cost, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. Unfortunately in Bangladesh, the safety issue in the context of inland waterways transport, particularly of passenger launches, has been overlooked for a long time.
A safe passenger vessel is the most important element in preventing frequent accidents in our inland waterways. A flawless design based on stringent rules and regulations is the backbone of a safe vessel that must be constructed according to the design. The Department of Shipping (DOS) is responsible for inland water safety and the approval of designs and plans of inland ships. The ideal practice is constructing the ship under the supervision of an enlisted panel supervisor, after receiving the approval of design and plan from DOS. However, in reality, there is a tendency among ship owners to go for design and plan approval after the construction of the vessel. In many cases, these vessels are not built properly under the supervision of a panel supervisor. As a result, there is inconsistency between the actual launch and its approved design.
In order to avoid the design fee and the supervision fee, the launch owners put their own water crafts as well as the lives of thousands of innocent passengers in jeopardy. In many instances, the launch owners simply ignore or disregard the safety of the passenger vessel by making illegal and dangerous modifications like changing the length or breadth or height without any prior consultation with a qualified naval architect. Checking the design and plan of an inland vessel is a very special type of job and only a person from naval architecture background is entitled to do this type of special task. Unfortunately, most of the personnel engaged in the design checking process are not naval architects. Consequently, flawless design of inland passenger vessels can never be achieved if this practice continues.

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