A fire broke out on the Keramat Ali ferry, which operates on the Paturia-Daulatdia river route in Manikganj. While the incident triggered panic among passengers, no casualties were reported.
Bangladesh Internal Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Deputy General Manager (DGM) Mohammad Abdus Salam confirmed the matter. He said the incident occurred at around 5:45 pm on Friday.
Belal Mahmud, a former student of Jahangirnagar University travelling from Jashore to Dhaka, witnessed the event. He stated, “While the ferry was at the terminal, suddenly flames were seen from its silencer pipe. Later, black smoke came out of the pipe. This caused fear among the passengers and vehicle drivers on the ferry.”
Upon receiving the news, a team from the Shibaloy Fire Service arrived at the scene and brought the fire under control. Many bystanders were seen recording the incident on video.
DGM Abdus Salam noted that such fire and smoke can occur if a silencer pipe becomes jammed. He said, “There is nothing to panic about. No damage occurred in this incident.”
