One person died and three were injured after a speedboat collided with an anchored sand-laden barge on the Kirtankhola River in Barishal on Thursday.
The accident happened around 3:00 pm near Bishwa Hat in Barishal Sadar upazila, said Sanatan Chandra Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Barishal River Police Station.
The speedboat, carrying passengers from Bhola to Barishal River Port, struck the stationary barge at the river’s confluence and sank, he said.
The eight passengers on board faced a harrowing ordeal. Four swam to safety, while locals rescued one of the missing passengers and rushed him to Barishal Sadar Hospital. Doctors declared the man, believed to be around 50 years old, dead. His identity remains unknown.
Rescuers are still searching for the three missing passengers. “The police are leading the rescue operations. Although we informed the Fire Service, no rescue team had reached the scene as of 8 pm,” OC Sarkar said.