Meghna trawler capsize: Death toll rises to 5

The body of Helal Uddin (54), who went missing after a trawler capsized in the Meghna river while travelling from Cumilla to a wedding in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, has been recovered. With this, the death toll has risen to five.

His body was recovered from beneath the Ratnpur Bridge on the Marikhali, a branch of the Meghna river in Sonargaon, on Monday afternoon, September 28, four days after he went missing.

Confirming the matter, Inspector Shah Kamal of the Baidyerbazar Naval Police outpost said, "The body of the missing Helal Uddin has been recovered. The body has been handed over to his family. No one else is missing in this incident. An unnatural death case has been filed over the trawler capsize."

Earlier, the bodies of three siblings from the same family who went missing were recovered from the Meghna river in Sonargaon on Friday night, September 25, and Saturday morning. They are Helal Uddin's daughter Samia Akter (17) and two sons Sajib Hossain (24) and Samin Hossain (5). Additionally, the body of a woman named Rashida Begum (40) was recovered on the day of the incident. They were residents of Srimaddi village in Cumilla's Homna upazila.

According to naval police and Fire Service sources, on the afternoon of Thursday, September 24, 13 relatives were travelling by trawler from Srimaddi village in Cumilla's Homna to attend the wedding ceremony of Sajia Akter, daughter of Shah Poran of Haria Baidyepara village in Sonargaon. The trawler was carrying two cows and a goat.

When the trawler reached near the factory of Aman Cement Company in the Sonamoyi area, gusty winds began on the river. This created large waves, causing water to enter the trawler. At one point, the trawler sank.

At that time, a trawler of Aman Cement Factory nearby quickly went to the scene and began rescue operations. They rescued eight people alive. After about half an hour, Rashida Begum's body was recovered from the river. Four people were then missing. Later, after the bodies of three more were recovered, one person remained missing. Later, on Monday, the body of the missing Helal Uddin was recovered.