Many people choose launch journey to travel from the capital to Munshiganj. Most of the passengers on board the small double-decker launch MV Rabit Al Hasan were going to Munshiganj.
The launch left the Narayanganj dock on Sunday evening. After the launch sank near the third Shitalakshya under construction bridge, people gathered at Munshiganj dock in search for their missing relatives. Narayanganj Fire Service sources said the bodies of five female passengers from the sunken launch were recovered till 11:30 pm.
Some survivors of the sinked launch were brought to the Munshiganj launch dock.One of them is Shayer Ahmed, 25, a trainee doctor, said he was doing an internship at Bangladesh Medical College in the capital. His home is in Khalist area of Munshiganj city. Every day, after the duty of the hospital, he comes to Narayanganj by bus and from there leave for Munshiganj by launch. The launch takes about 45 minutes from Narayanganj to reach Munshiganj. On Sunday evening he boarded on a small launch called Rabit Al Hassan. When the boat approached the Muktarpur bridge, it was hit by a bulkhead from behind. The launch tilted. Doctor Shayer Ahmed quickly took off his pant, shirt and shoes and jumped into the river. Then he floated there for a while holding the pillar of the bridge under construction. He was later rescued.
Survivor Shayer Ahmed said usually there are 50 to 60 passengers on the launch. However, there were more than a hundred passengers on the launch on that evening. Many were returning to their villages in Munshiganj due to the lockdown.
Another survivor Passenger Maruf (18) he works in a fish farm in Narayanganj. He was going to Munshiganj to catch a big launch to return to his village home in Swarupkathi, Barisal due to lockdown. The launch named Rabit Al Hasan left Narayanganj launch ghat just before 6 pm. At around 6.15 pm, the launch reached the third Shitalakshya Bridge under construction. At this time a large bulkhead collided with the Launch from behind. Maruf was on the ground floor of the two-storey launch. When the launch tilted due to the push of the bulkhead, Maruf came out through the window. After the collision, the vessel floated for about half a minute, until it sunk Many drowning people from the launch grabbed his legs. Somehow he freed himself, and swim to the pillar of the bridge and grabbed one them. He was later rescued. The teenager was regretting seeing so many people drowning in front of his eyes.
Bipasha Sarkar was looking for her husband Loknath Das (38). Bipasha said Loknath works in a gold shop in Munshiganj. Loknath went to Narayanganj for work around noon. After five o’clock he said he was returning to Munshiganj by launch. Loknath’s phone has been off since the accident. Since then Bipasha has just been
weeping.