Bodies of 2 workers recovered from bulkhead sunk after launch collision in Fatulla

The bodies of two workers trapped inside a sand-laden bulkhead that partially sank after being hit by a passenger launch have been recovered by River Police in the Buriganga River at Fatulla in Narayanganj Sadar upazila.

The bodies were recovered at around 4:45 pm on Friday.

The accident occurred earlier in the morning at around 6:00 am in front of a private dockyard ghat near the Dharmaganj filling station in Fatulla.

The deceased were identified as Shakil Ahmed, 24, son of Amir Hawladar of Chargorobdi village in Dumki upazila of Patuakhali, and Mohammad Hasan, 20, from Rajapur area of Jhalokathi. Both were working as deckhands on the bulkhead.

According to eyewitnesses and police, a soil-laden bulkhead named Kashfa Sneha was anchored at the ghat in the Dharmaganj area. At around 6:00 am, a Dhaka-bound passenger launch, Sundarban-16, rammed the rear cabin side of the anchored bulkhead at high speed. The impact caused the bulkhead to crumple and sink rapidly.

While three workers managed to swim to the riverbank, two workers who were sleeping inside the cabin went missing. After the collision, the launch continued towards Dhaka.

Following the incident, River Police, Coast Guard, Fire Service and BIWTA conducted a joint rescue operation. After several hours, the bodies of the two missing workers were recovered from inside the cabin.

Narayanganj River Police Superintendent Mohammad Alamgir Hossain said the bodies were recovered after cutting through the grill of the bulkhead’s engine room to access the cabin.