Munshiganj district administration has declared the end of the rescue operations for missing workers of a capsized trawler in Meghna, with 18 workers still missing.
The vessel went under on January 15 with 34 workers onboard. While 14 managed to swim ashore, 20 remained missing. Two of their bodies have been recovered downstream so far.
“The missing trawler rescue operation has been shut down. Of the missing workers, the dead bodies of two have been recovered and handed over to the families,” Munshiganj Gajaria Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Hasan Sadi said on Monday.
“Two dead bodies were recovered and 18 remain missing. The missing persons’ families have returned home to Pabna. If more bodies are recovered, the families will be informed,” he said.
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BIWTA, the Fire Service, river police, and the Bangladesh Coast Guard jointly carried out the rescue operation.
The owner of the trawler, Zakir Dewan, 45, who was arrested in a case filed by a survivor, has been sent on a one-day remand.
A Munshiganj court gave the order on Monday afternoon after police asked for a seven-day remand.
On January 15, the trawler from Comilla — carrying 34 workers and a cargo of earth — sank in the Meghna River around 3am while heading to Fatullah in Narayanganj, after it collided with an oil-laden tanker.
All the workers were from Pabna and Sirajganj districts. Two of their bodies were recovered on Sunday.