When this report was first filed around 9pm yesterday, nobody was sure how many people were travelling on the launch which capsized in the Padma River in the morning.
The authorities were nowhere near certain either about how many people managed to swim to safety or how many had actually died.
The recovery of bodies of two women until midnight were the only things that they could confirm. One of them was Heera, 22, a student of the capital’s ZH Sikder Women’s Medical College. Her body was handed over to her family late last night. The other victim is aged nearly 45.
The uncertainty was very visible on the worried faces of hundreds of people who have gathered on the river bank, waiting to know the latest about their dear ones soon after the news of the capsize broke.
Pinak 6, the fateful launch that was supposed to carry 85 people at best, had reportedly more than 200 passengers on board. Most of them were women and children coming back to the capital from their village homes in the southern and southwestern districts after the Eid vacations.
When the launch – which was carrying passengers from the Kawrakandi point to the Mawa terminal – reached Louhajang and was taking a sharp turn, a strong wave hit it from one side and it started tilting in the opposite direction.
Witnesses said the vessel was only 10 minutes away from the Mawa Terminal when it sank. Depth of water in that spot was around 85-90 feet, said officials.
The river was rough and a cautionary signal number three from the Met Office suggested that overhead conditions were nowhere near ideal.
Soon after the launch sank, teams from the Bangladesh Army, Navy, Coast Guard and the fire service started rescue efforts.
Rescue operation remained suspended since around 10pm for rough weather and strong current. At 12:30am, only the rescuers of fire service resumed work.
BIWTA Chairman Shamsuddoha Khandker told the Dhaka Tribune that they identified the location where the launch had sank.
But the rescuers were yet to determine the exact position of the launch until 1am.
Rescue vessel Rustom, which left Narayanganj for Louhajang soon after the incident, reached the place around 9pm. A survey ship of the BIWTA joined the rescue work around 9:30pm.
Another rescue vessel Hamza, which started from Barisal for the spot, went back for unknown reasons.
Officials concerned said a survey ship was supposed to start from Chittagong for the site this morning.
According to Sujan, a survivor, the overloaded launch took about five to six minutes to fully go under water.
“As the launch was nearing the Mawa terminal, we were getting ready to disembark. Suddenly, water carried in by a strong wave entered the engine room. In no time, the rear side of the vessel started sinking,” said Sujan with tears mixed with fears in his eyes.
Sujan, a student of the capital’s Tejgaon college, was travelling along with his aunt Hashi and her three children: Shampa, 14, Miraj, 9, and Ibrahim, 2.
Hashi said she had no idea what had happened to her three children. Her husband went to spot hearing the news of capsize.
Zakir Hossain, acting chief of Munshiganj district police, told the Dhaka Tribune that primary estimates suggest that around 100 people managed to swim ashore with the help of local people.
He said they were still trying to come up with a list of the missing people and around 10pm, the list had about 108 names with many more to come.
Mohiuddin Ahmed, port officer of the Mawa terminal, said the launch was not very big; so even 200 passengers were too much for its size.
Rescuers said bad weather and the rough river were severely hampering their work.
Mahfuzur Rahman Akand, an assistant director of fire service, said their divers had been frantic in their efforts, using speedboats and trawlers, but unfavourable overhead conditions were making their task difficult.
“If the launch drifts away because of the strong wave, then it will be very difficult for them to trace its exact location,” he said.
Meanwhile, two probe bodies have been formed to learn the reason behind the fatal accident.
Mohammad Hossain, a director of BIWTA, told the Dhaka Tribune that the launch sank because of three reasons: it was overloaded, the weather was bad and the current in the river was too strong.
Saiful Hassan, deputy commissioner of Munshiganj district, said the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief had already given Tk20,000 to the family of Heera, the only identified dead victim of the capsize so far, to carry the bodies and for burial.
The other families of the victims would also get the same amount each, he said.
The Shipping Ministry and the local administration would give the deceased families Tk1,25,000 each as compensation, the minister said.