4 Rohingyas die as boat capsizes in Meghna River

Four bodies were recovered after a boat capsized in the Meghna River near Noakhali’s Hatiya upazila while en route to Bhasan Char on Saturday.

Nineteen others were rescued alive by members of the Coast Guard, River Police, and Fire Service and Civil Defence.

The bodies of three children and one woman were found floating. All the deceased were residents of the Bhasan Char Rohingya camp.

Officer-in-Charge of Bhasan Char Police Station, Abu Jafar, confirmed the matter.

The deceased are Laila Begum, 45, wife of Dil Mohammad from Cluster 85 of Bhasan Char; Abdul Kader, 4, son of Mohammad Abdullah from Cluster 84; Azizul Haque, 5, son of Mohammad Jahar from Cluster 80; and Asmida Begum, 4, daughter of Mohammad Rashid from Cluster 8.

The boat was heading towards Bhasan Char from the Chattogram Fishery Ghat, carrying goods like rice and pulses along with passengers.

The boat’s operator, Md Humayun, said they departed from Chattogram Fishery Ghat at around 8am with goods and several passengers.

At approximately 11am, as the boat approached Hatiya’s boundary in the Meghna River, it was caught in a sudden storm and quickly capsized.

The passengers started screaming and tried to save themselves by swimming. Humayun himself managed to stay afloat in the river.

The boat was caught in the storm around 11am, just eight nautical miles south of the Bhasan Char Rohingya camp, said OC Jafar.

Along with goods, the boat was carrying about 23 passengers. Upon receiving the news, nearby boats rushed to rescue the passengers, followed by a rapid response from the River Police and Coast Guard, who rescued other passengers unharmed, he said.

The bodies have been taken to Bhasan Char Police Station, he added.