4 members of same family still missing after trawler sinks in Meghna

Four members of the same family remain missing after a trawler sank in the Meghna River in Sonargaon, Narayanganj. The trawler sank after being caught in a storm in the Sonamayi area of Baidyer Bazar on Thursday afternoon. A woman named Rashida died in the incident.

A search and rescue operation was conducted from Thursday evening until 3am. The operation resumed at 7am on Friday, with the Fire Service, Coast Guard, River Police and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) taking part.

Rescuers have located the sunken trawler, but no bodies have yet been recovered from inside it.

According to local sources, 13 people from Srimandi village in Cumilla were travelling by trawler to Baidyer Bazar in Sonargaon to attend a wedding ceremony. The trawler capsized after being caught in a storm in the middle of the river.

Eight passengers managed to swim ashore after the accident. Local residents later rescued Rashida and took her to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

Helal, his son Sajib, and his two daughters, Samia and Samin, remain missing. Rescue teams are continuing their search in the river for the four family members.

Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of the Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the rescue operation had been underway since the incident. “There has been no trace of the four missing people yet,” he said.

He added that the Fire Service, Coast Guard, River Police and BIWTA were conducting the search jointly.