Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Bangladesh's state minister for shipping, on Wednesday (January 17, 2024) said the ferry, Rajanigandha, capsized in the Padma River near Paturia ferry terminal in Manikganj after being hit by a bulkhead.

“Primarily, it is known that the ferry was anchored near the ghat and a bulkhead hit the ferry,” he said while talking to reporters at the secretariat.

The actual reason could be known after getting probe report, he said.

Ferry driver missing after it capsizes with vehicles in Padma River

“Rajanigandha ferry is a utility ferry and there were a small number of vehicles on it. When vehicles started to board it ,the authorities usually maintain balance and whether the authorities followed it properly at that time it will be known later,” said the minister.

The ferry authorities said they anchored the ferry due to dense fog and when they started their journey around 1:30 am from Daulatpur ghat the sky was clear but when they reached near Paturia they experienced poor visibility due to dense fog, he said.

A secretary-level officer is on the spot and he will take necessary steps, said Khalid.

Mentioning that Bulkhead is needed for transporting goods, the minister said, “The ministry is looking how to modernize those and register those and the Department of Shipping (DoS) is working on it.”

Daulatdia-Paturia ferry services resume after 7 hours

A man identified as Humayun Kabir, 39, second master of the ferry, went missing as the ferry on the Daulatdia-Paturia route with nine trucks capsized near No 5 ghat in Paturia of Manikganj district earlier today.