At least three people, including a local student front leader, have gone missing after a picnic boat carrying over 100 passengers crashed into a pillar of the Hardinge Bridge in Bheramara upazila of Kushtia. The accident occurred in Padma River at around 8:30pm on Friday amidst strong currents.
Following the initial collision, the vessel lost control, drifted downstream, and strucknearby Lalon Shah Bridge before being steered to the riverbank, where local residents rescued passengers.
Two of the missing persons have been identified as Rocky, member secretary of Shailkupa Pourashava Chhatra Dal, and Liton, a resident of Kabirpur in the same upazila. Identity of the third missing individual could not be immediately ascertained.
According to Fire Service personnel, local residents, and eyewitnesses, the boat was heading towards Kushtia with over 130 passengers on board. Although four persons were initially reported missing following the crash, one individual named Ohab was later accounted for, leaving three missing.
Visiting the scene, Bheramara Upazila Nirbahi Officer Amirul Arafat confirmed that the excursion involved a business team from Kabirpur in Shailkupa. “It was a picnic boat of a business team from Kabirpur in Shailkupa. They had come to Solaiman Shah Mazar in Bheramara. Three people remain missing. I am at the scene,” he told Times of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Kushtia Fire Service and Civil Defence Assistant Director Wadud Hossain stated that the controlling officer had arrived at the spot, but strong currents in the Padma prevented the immediate rescue of the three missing individuals. He noted that there were 110 passengers on the boat and added that a team of divisional divers would be deployed if rescue efforts could not be carried out during the night.
