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More than two hundred passengers saved by launch master’s swift action


Published : 28 Sep 2020 11:53 AM | Updated : 28 Sep 2020 11:53 AM

More than two hundred passengers were saved by the launch master’s quick thinking when the bottom of the Srestho-2 launch, which had left Shimulia for Kathalbari in Madaripur with more than two hundred passengers, had broken apart and was about to sink.

The bottom of the launch burst when it collided with a dredger pipe at the Padma Bridge channel on the Kathalbari-Shimulia route. The launch was submerged and more than half of it drowned. At this time the master of the launch stopped at a char. Later, another launch and a dredger reached the spot from Kathalbari Ghat and rescued the passengers.

BIWTA inspector at Kathalbari launch ghat Akhter Hossain told the media that the MV Srestho-2 launch with more than two hundred passengers left Munshiganj’s Shimulia Ghat at around 7 pm for Kathalbari in Madaripur. The launch collided with a dredger pipe running into the river near the China Channel, rupturing its floor. Later, water began to seep into the launch through the cracked floor. Unable to find a way, the master took the launch closer to the char. The launch was later anchored there. At this time the passengers started shouting help. Later, a dredger and another launch sent from Kathalbari Ghat rescued all the passengers unharmed. The crashed launch was also recovered.

SAQ