An eight-year-old girl has died and her mother remains missing after an overloaded passenger trawler carrying more than 50 people and six motorcycles capsized in the Kaliganga River in Pirojpur on Monday night.
The accident occurred around 9pm near the Sreeramkathi-Bharatkathi ferry ghat, between Nazirpur and Nesarabad upazilas, when the vessel lost balance and sank shortly after leaving the Nazirpur side of the river.
The deceased was identified as Arpita Bepari, 8, while her missing mother is Rina Bepari, 35. They are the daughter and wife of Sankar Bepari of Bharatkathi village in Guarekha union under Nesarabad upazila.
According to family sources, Sankar had returned to his ancestral village with his family for the Durga Puja holidays. They were travelling back by trawler after visiting puja celebrations in the Sreeramkathi area.
Local residents said the trawler was heading towards Bharatkathi ferry ghat with more than 50 passengers and six motorcycles when it tilted to one side and sank under the excessive load.
Most passengers managed to swim ashore or were rescued by local residents, but Rina and her daughter went missing.
Police and Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel rushed to the scene after receiving information about the accident.
A team of divers from Pirojpur Fire Service conducted two search operations and recovered Arpita’s body from the river. Her mother remained missing.
Nazirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sajia Shahnaz Toma, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md Ahsan Habib and Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Nasrin Jahan visited the scene.
The rescue operation was led by Pirojpur Fire Service and Civil Defence Deputy Director Raihanur Ashraf and Nazirpur Fire Service Inspector Soaib Hossain Munshi.
Sajia Shahnaz Toma and Raihanur Ashraf said the search operation had been suspended overnight because poor visibility made rescue efforts too risky.
They said the search would resume in the morning to locate Rina.
