Paturia ferry accident: Probe committee formed

The shipping ministry has formed a seven-member committee to find out the causes of a ferry accident that took place at Paturia ghat in Manikganj district on Wednesday.

The committee will be headed by Sultan Abdul Hamid, additional secretary (development) of the ministry. They will submit a report by the next seven working days.

Ferry Shah Amanat tilted just before anchoring at the Paturia ghat 5 at 9-30am on Wednesday and it partially capsized with at least 17 vehicles, mostly trucks and covered vans that sank in the Padma river.

In an office order, the shipping ministry also asked the probe committee to place its recommendations before the authorities within the stipulated time on how the accidents can be prevented in the country’s waterway.

The committee has also been asked to investigate the cause of some ferry accidents that took place in recent times and place recommendations on overall ferry management and improvement of the ferry services.

While talking to the Business Insider Bangladesh earlier in the day Mujibur Rahman, in-charge of Aricha Fire Service Station, said, “We are suspecting that there was a crack at the bottom of the ferry and it might be the cause of the accident”.

Mobarak Hossain Mojumdar, spokesperson of the BIWTA, said they also came to know that there is a crack at the bottom of the ferry.

Shah Amanat started from Douladdia, the other side of Paturia, carrying at least 17 vehicles, mostly trucks and private cars and got capsized at Paturia ghat in Padma River, according to Md Zillur Rahman, AGM of BIWTA at Aricha office.

However, no casualty was reported till filing this report at 7 pm, according to Rahman.