Four killed as passenger launches collide on Meghna river in dense fog

Four people were killed when two passenger launches collided on the Meghna River in Chandpur amid dense fog early Friday.

The incident occurred around 2:00 am between the Haimchar upazila and the Harina area.

Later, the dead and injured passengers from the damaged launch were brought to Sadarghat in Dhaka.

Officer-in-Charge Sohag Rana of Sadarghat River Police Station said four bodies had been recovered following the collision between the launches, while several others were injured. He said further details would be provided after inquiries.

Earlier, at around 10:45 am, Officer-in-Charge Sohag Rana said seven people had been killed in the collision between the two launches.

According to BIWTA, the Dhaka-bound passenger launch MV Zakir Samrat-3, which had departed from Ghosherhat in Bhola, was passing through the Haimchar area shortly after 2:00 am when it collided with the Barishal-bound MV Adventure-9 coming from Dhaka amid poor visibility caused by dense fog. One person was killed at the scene.

Following the collision, passengers from Zakir Samrat-3 were transported to Dhaka aboard another passenger launch, MV Karnaphuli-9.

Correction

Officer-in-Charge Sohag Rana of Sadarghat River Police Station said at around 10:45 am that seven people had been killed in the collision between the two launches. He later said around 12:00 pm that four people were killed in the incident.