Six of the seven people found dead on the ship MV Al Bakhera in the Meghna River in Chandpur's Haimchar upazila have been identified.
Crew members of another vessel, Mugni-3, owned by the same company, disclosed the identities on Monday evening. However, local authorities had yet to confirm the victims' identities officially.
According to their colleagues, six of the deceased were the ship's master, Kibria; engineer, Salauddin; helmsman, Aminul Munshi; and greasers Sajibul, Azizul and Majedul Islam. All were residents of Narail.
The seventh victim's identity remains unknown.
The lone injured person, Jewel, was sent to Dhaka for advanced medical treatment.
Earlier, at around 3:30pm, the River Police recovered five bodies from MV Al Bakhera, owned by Messrs Brishti Enterprise.
Three others were found critically injured, two of whom later died at Chandpur General Hospital.
The identity of the perpetrators behind the killings is not known yet.
Suspected robbery
Syed Mushfiqur Rahman, the superintendent of Chandpur River Police, said the police suspected that the murders had occurred during a robbery attempt that had met resistance.
Investigations were underway to unravel the mystery and confirm the identities of all victims, he added.
Hospital and police sources reported stab wounds and slit throats on the victims.
The police believe the crime occurred late on Sunday.
MV Al Bakhera, capable of carrying 800 tons, was transporting 720 tons of urea fertilizer from Chittagong’s Kafco jetty to Baghabari in Sirajganj, under contract from Messrs Hamidia Enterprise.
The ship anchored near the Ishanbala canal on Sunday night. The fertilizer belonged to the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC).
The ship’s owner, Diplu Rana, said he last spoke with the ship’s master at around 8:30pm.
“When I could not reach them on Monday morning, I informed the crew of Mugni-3. They found the bodies upon reaching the scene.”
Mugni-3’s master, Mohammad Bacchu Mia, and greaser, Masud, said they discovered the tragedy around 1pm.
Police findings and medical details
SP Mushfiqur said five bodies had been found in separate cabins, while three injured had been rushed to the hospital, where two had succumbed to their injuries.
“Preliminary evidence suggests the attackers used sharp weapons on sleeping victims,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Anisur Rahman, resident medical officer at Chandpur General Hospital, said all the victims had wounds inflicted on them with sharp weapons.
Jewel, with severe cuts to his throat and windpipe, had been sent to Dhaka for better care, he added.
Deputy Commissioner Md Mohsin Uddin, after visiting the scene, said an injured victim had gestured that there had been eight crew members aboard.
“The motive remains unclear – whether it was a robbery or something else. Investigations are ongoing,” he added.
