The death toll from the launch capsize in Munshiganj has climbed to 55, with 27 more bodies being recovered yesterday before the rescue operations were called off.
Out of the bodies that had been recovered from the MV Miraj 4 launch,
53 have been handed over to their family members. Of the deceased, 11 are children, 13 are women, while the rest are men.
“We have already handed over 53 bodies to the families after verification, while two bodies recovered on Saturday evening are yet to be identified. The Shariatpur authority has been asked to take action regarding it,” ATM Mahbubul Karim, the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Gajaria, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Meanwhile, some register books and a draft of the passengers list have reportedly been recovered from inside the vessel after it was brought to the riverbank.
Without confirming the authenticity of the documents, which read that 335 passengers boarded the launch on the day of the accident, the UNO said: “I have been waiting for it to dry and we would give it to the DC office and probe body to investigate.”
However, employees from different launches told the Dhaka Tribune that the number was unlikely to be valid, as the vessels only estimated passenger figures once the launch had reached its destination.
On the other hand, from a press conference onboard salvage vessel Prottoy in the afternoon, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairperson Shamsuddhoha Khandaker declared the official end of the rescue operation. He said the launch sank very quickly as its thin lower part could not withstand the heavy blow of wind gust.
Asked about the delay in the rescue process, the BIWTA chief said the added time was needed as they had launched salvage operations using Prottoy for the first time.
Earlier, protests by relatives of the missing people forced the BIWTA to resume rescue efforts, despite announcing its end in the morning.
Claiming that authorities concerned have received a list of seven missing persons, Munshiganj Deputy Commissioner Saiful Hassan said local administration would continue to look for the missing people even though the BIWTA had concluded the rescue operation.
He added that if any family member provided legal identification and proof of any missing person, then their details would be registered in the missing person’s list.
Following the conclusion of rescue efforts by the BIWTA, the relatives of the missing people have started leaving the banks of river Meghna.
On Thursday, MV Miraj 4 capsized during a storm on the Meghna with around 200 passengers on board.