A lighter vessel carrying 2,000 tons of raw sugar capsized in the Bay of Bengal near Bhashanchar early Friday.
The lighter vessel ‘MV City-14’ owned by City Group was heading for Narayanganj from the outer anchorage of Chittagong port.
Mohammad Salim, deputy director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) told the Dhaka Tribune that the vessel capsized at the entry point of Hatiya channel near Bhashanchar at around 5:30am as water entered into the engine room due to strong current in the Bay.
The BIWTA official said that all the 12 crew aboard were rescued by another lighter vessel which was passing through the area at that time.
The master of the lighter vessel somehow managed to drive it to the shore near the coast of Thengarchar area in the Bay so that there is no disruption in vessel movement in the Hatiya channel in the Bay.