United News of Bangladesh

Ferry services on the Shariatpur-Chandpur Harinaghat river route have been suspended since 11:30pm on Saturday (January 03, 2026) due to dense fog, disrupting transport on both sides of the river. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Narsinghpur ferry terminal Assistant Manager Md Iqbal Hossain said ferry operations were suspended  at around 11:30pm on Saturday as thick fog engulfed the river basin, gradually reducing visibility. Read more: As haor waters recede, Sunnamganj farmers sow hope in every field At one stage, he said,  navigation marker lights along the waterway became unclear, prompting authorities to suspend all ferry and vessel movement to prevent accidents midstream. As a result, passenger buses, goods-laden trucks and other vehicles were stranded at ferry terminals in both Shariatpur and Chandpur. Hossain said no ferry had to anchor mid-river during the suspension. “Ferry services will resume once the fog density decreases and visibility improves,” he added. Read more: Dhaka’s air quality remains ‘unhealthy’ amid fog

Nearly three months have passed since the Paturia ferry ghats suffered extensive damage, yet substantial repairs have not been carried out, leaving commuters and transport workers grappling with severe difficulties. Locals blame the prolonged delay on the inaction of the local administration. Of the five ghats at the terminal, only Ghat No 3 is fully operational for vehicle crossings, while the other four are partially functional or completely closed. This has left passengers from 21 southwestern districts facing long delays, with many forced to wait for hours to cross the Padma River, locals alleged. A recent visit to the terminal revealed that Ghats No. 1 and 5 remain completely shut. Ghats No. 2 and 4 are only partially operational, while Ghat No. 3 handles almost all vehicle traffic. Ghat No. 5 has become entirely unusable, with both pontoon ramps stuck at an elevated angle, while Ghat No. 1’s ramp has detached from the ground and the approach road is heavily damaged. At Ghat No. 2, a wide gap between the pontoon ramp and the connecting road hampers vehicle movement, limiting ferry operations. Meanwhile, the front section of the low-water-level zone at Ghat No. 4 has collapsed, causing heavy vehicles to become stuck and requiring towing before others can pass. Officials explained that all five ghats were damaged in August by the strong currents of the Padma River. At the time, pontoons were moved to higher ground. However, as water levels dropped sharply, the elevated pontoons became unusable. Padma swallows Paturia terminals amid administrative standoff Erosion of the lower approach roads has made repositioning the pontoons impossible, creating a depth of around 30 to 40 feet under the pontoon that requires major reconstruction. Without significant repair work, four ghats cannot be restored. Drivers and passengers alike described long waits and mounting frustration. Shafique Mia, a driver for the Faridpur-bound ‘Golden Line Paribahan’, said, “If all ghats were functional, we wouldn’t have to wait. Now we wait one to two hours before crossing.” Farid Khan, a passenger heading to Jhenaidah on the ‘Purbaasha Paribahan’, recalled waiting nearly one and a half hours at the Paturia terminal. Truck driver Bashir Ahmed, travelling to Khulna with vehicle parts, said his truck became stuck on the approach road due to heavy load, forcing him to pay Tk 1,500 for towing. “Drivers and owners are suffering badly,” he said. Terminal staff highlighted that the lack of repair work over the past three months has caused immense hardship for passengers on the Paturia–Daulatdia route, particularly as heavy vehicles frequently get stuck while boarding or disembarking from the ferries. They urged the government to initiate urgent repairs to alleviate public suffering. Ferry services disrupted as two ghats collapse in Paturia  Abdus Salam, deputy general manager of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), noted that ferry traffic has declined due to the non-operational ghats, resulting in reduced government revenue. He said the maintenance and repair of ferry ghats fall under the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), which has received multiple letters requesting immediate repairs. BIWTA Executive Engineer Robiul Islam confirmed that the collapse of the low-water-level sections has been reported to higher authorities. “Once funds

The ferry services between Chandpur’s Horinia Ghat and Shariatpur’s Alur Bazar Ghat resumed after 10 hours of suspension due to the thick fog in the Meghna River. Faisal Alam Chowdhury, manager of Horinia Ferry Ghat at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), said the ferry services resumed around 10 am after the fog cleared.    Earlier at 12am, the BIWTC was forced to suspend the ferry services between the ghats to ward off any unwanted incident amid the poor visibility. Fog-hit ferry services resume on Aricha-Kazirhat, Paturia-Daulatpur routes The suspension caused a good number of light, medium, and heavy cargo vehicles stuck on both sides of the ferry ghat. People didn’t come out of their homes unless emergency as the thick fog blanked the district headquarters and surroundings. Fog disrupts ferry services on two key waterways Ali Azgar, supervisor of launch operators at Chandpur Ghat, said that the launch schedule from Chandpur to Dhaka collapsed due to poor visibility. Three scheduled launches from Chandpur Ghat to Dhaka could not leave at 6am, 7am, and 8am, according to the staff members of those launches. Moreover, launches coming from Dhaka to Chandpur were also delayed, with several passenger launches, including Sonar Tari, Meghna Rani, and Hasan Imam, still stuck in the river due to the dense fog. Fog-disrupted ferry services on Aricha-Kazirhat route resume after 6 hrs They are moving very slowly, and it will take several more hours to reach the Chandpur Ghat, according to the launch supervisors. Shah Mohammad Shoaib, meteorologist of Chandpur's weather office, said that they recorded on Thursday a temperature of 15.6°C, a six degree Celsius fall compared to Wednesday.

Ferry movement on two of the country’s vital waterways came to a halt on Saturday morning due to heavy fog on the Padma River, disrupting transportation for several hours. However, services resumed after a three-hour shutdown. While there was no fog overnight, a sudden fog engulfed the river basin early on Saturday. As a result, ferry services on Manikganj’s Aricha and Pabna Kazirhat routes were suspended at 6:20am. The shutdown lasted until 9:35am, when ferry operations resumed, according to The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC). Ferry services on Chilmari-Roumari route suspended for 17 days In addition, ferry movement between Manikganj’s Paturia and Rajbari’s Daulatdia was also affected. The fog caused ferries to stop operating from 7:20 am at Paturia and from 7:30 am at Daulatdia. Services on this route resumed around 10:15 am, nearly three and a half hours later. Aricha BIWTC Assistant General Manager Mohammad Salah Uddin said there was no fog on the river overnight, and it was only in the early hours of Saturday that the fog became dense, hampering ferry operations. At the Daulatdia ghat, approximately six ferries were stationed with loaded vehicles while four more ferries were anchored at Paturia. Zaman Paribahan Supervisor Monir Hossain said several buses, along with other vehicles, reached the ferry terminal around 7 am. Following the fog, authorities halted all ferry operations. As a result, at least a hundred Dhaka-bound vehicles were stranded at the ghat.

Ferry services on the Chilmari-Roumari route in Kurigram have been suspended for 17 days since December 23 due to navigability problems in the Brahmaputra River. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), Chilmari, Manager Prafulla Chauhan said, “Services will resume only after clearance from the BIWTA. However, no specific timeline has been provided.” Abdul Matin, who driver of a stone-laden truck from Bhurungamari's Sonahat land port, expressed frustration, saying, "I didn't know the ferry service was closed. I've been stranded here with my truck for the last three days, with no clarity on when operations will resume." Another driver, Zahidul Islam from Lalmonirhat, said, "I arrived only to find the ferry service suspended. Now I’ll have to take a longer route, which will increase my expenses." Roads and Highways Department starts eviction drive in Natore BIWTA Deputy Assistant Engineer Md Kamruzzaman said the navigability issue extends across six kilometres from Baldamara to Roumari Ghat. "The channel that previously facilitated the ferry route was disrupted after the embankment collapsed. We are currently dredging about 4,000 feet of the river. Unfortunately, floodwaters have refilled the dredged areas," he added.

An expatriate student, drowned after falling into the river while trying to board a launch in Bhairab upazlila of Kishoreganj on Monday (April 22, 2024). The incident happened at the Bhairab Bazar Launch Terminal around 8:30 PM on Monday. The deceased was Al Islam (30), son of Alauddin, director of the Bhairab Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Two CUET students on motorcycle killed by speeding bus in Chattogram Bhairab River Police Sub-Inspector Rafiqul Islam confirmed the matter. He said, after being informed, a police team reached the spot and rescued Islam with the help of local divers after 40 minutes. He was taken to the Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Islam had gone to Germany for studies on a scholarship about a year and a half ago. He came home on vacation a few days before Eid. Family members said Al Islam was going to board a ferry to hang out with his friends by the riverbank. At that time, he slipped and fell into the river. Read more: Body of Navy person recovered 8 hrs after going missing in Muhuri River

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 hoursA 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.

In a harrowing incident early this morning, a ferry operating on the Daulatdia-Paturia route tragically capsized near No 5 ghat in the Manikganj district of Bangladesh. The mishap, involving the ferry ‘Rajanigandha’ with nine trucks onboard, led to the disappearance of one individual, identified as Humayun Kabir, the 39-year-old second driver of the vessel. Read: Weather Update: Will it rain in Dhaka?  Anwarul Islam, warehouse inspector of Fire Service and Civil Defence, reported that the ferry sank around 8:16 am. Following the incident, local fire service divers were promptly dispatched to the site and succeeded in rescuing six individuals from the perilous waters. The exact cause of the ferry’s capsizing remains unclear at this early stage of the investigation. Read: Dhaka Elevated Expressway to be completed in 2024, says Obaidul Quader  In a display of coordinated effort, the Bangladesh Navy has also joined the ongoing rescue operations, as confirmed by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The search continues for the missing ferry driver, Humayun Kabir, with rescue teams working tirelessly against the clock in the hope of a safe recovery. 

Ferry service on Chandpur-Shariatpur route resumed this morning after nearly six hours of suspension due to dense fog in the Meghna River. 30 injured in earthquake panic rush in Cumilla, Chandpur The authorities concerned were forced to suspend the ferry services from 12 am to 6 am today to avert accidents.  Hundreds of vehicles waiting to cross the river remained stuck at both ends of the river, causing distress to passengers and drivers in the chilly weather. Cyclone Midhili: Large-scale damage reported to crops in Chandpur Faisal Alam Chowdhury, manager of Harina Ferry Ghat in Chandpur, said the ferry services resumed around 6 am after the visibility issues caused by the dense fog improved. 60-year-old dies as tree falls on him in Chandpur

A Philippine ferry carrying 82 passengers and crew caught fire as it was approaching a port south of Manila on Friday, and at least 73 of those aboard have been rescued, including many who jumped into the water, the coast guard and survivors said. Search and rescue efforts were continuing after nightfall for the passengers and crew of the M/V Asia Philippines, an inter-island cargo and passenger vessel which came from nearby Calapan city in Oriental Mindoro province, the coast guard said. A 44-year-old woman who was among those rescued was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries. Video released by the coast guard showed flames and black smoke billowing from the ferry, which was near other ships more than a kilometer (about a mile) from the Batangas port’s anchorage area, coast guard officials said. Read: Man opens fire on Philippine campus, killing 3 people A ship helped coast guard vessels extinguish the fire, they said. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Passenger Benedict Fernandez told DZMM radio that smoke and flames suddenly rose from the second deck as crew members were apparently trying to turn an engine on and off as the ferry approached the port. There was no immediate order to abandon ship, but when it became hard to see because of the smoke, he said he decided to jump into the water with his two children from the third deck, along with other passengers. “I pushed my children off because if we didn't jump from the top, we would really get burned because the soles of our feet were already feeling the heat,” Fernandez said. They were rescued from the water by another boat that approached the burning ship and then transferred to a tugboat, which brought them to port, he said. The ferry, which was carrying 48 passengers, 34 crewmembers and 16 vehicles, can carry about 400 passengers, the coast guard said. In the past, there have been instances when ferries carried unlisted passengers in defiance of regulations. Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces. In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.