Boat Capsize
Boat capsizes in Turag, pregnant woman drowns
The body of a pregnant woman was recovered from the Turag River in Ashulia union of Savar upazila of Dhaka after a boat sank in the river Monday morning.
The deceased was identified as Rozina Begum, 22, wife of Ashiqur Rahman of Rangpur and a garment worker in Ashulia, said Idris Hossain, in charge of Tongi Fire Service.
The boat with 30 passengers on board sank in the mid river in the morning. All the passengers but Rozina managed to swim ashore, he said.
Also read: Over 14,000 children die in Bangladesh due to drowning every year
A diving team of Tongi fire service fished out her body from the river around 12 pm.
“The boat might have capsized due to overload. The body has been handed to the family,” he said.
Also read: Young tourist drowns in Nikli haor
19 women drowned as boat capsizes in Pakistan's Indus River: media
At least 19 women were killed on Monday when a boat capsized in the Indus River near Machka area of Sadiqabad city in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, local media reported.
According to media, around 60 to 70 passengers were on board. They were part of a marriage procession that was heading towards Machka from a nearby area.
Read: Soldier killed in terror attack in NW Pakistan
At least 35 people were rescued by the locals, police told media.
The search operation for the people who are still missing is underway.
Kishoreganj boat capsize: 3 bodies recovered
The bodies of three people who went missing after a boat capsized in Itna Haor of Kishoreganj Monday afternoon have been recovered.
Read: Couple drowns in boat capsize in Titas River, minor girl missing
The deceased were identified as Siraj Uddin, 60, of Halgarh village in Karimganj upazila, Wasim, 35, of Itna upazila and Md. Masud, 25, son of Md. Mostafa of Damiha union of Tarail upazila.The engine-driven boat with five people on board was heading towards Dhanpur in Itna Upazila from the Damiha area of Tarail Upazila, said Mushfiqur Rahman, assistant station officer of Itna Fire Service.
The boat sank amid storm in the middle of Sahila-Dhanpur Haor in Itna upazila in the afternoon.
Read: One drowns, another missing in boat capsize in Chandpur
Two passengers of the boat managed to swim ashore but three others went missing, he said.
A team of divers of Itna Fire service started the rescue operation around 7am on Tuesday and recovered the bodies around 9:30 am, the fire service official said.
Migrant boat capsizes in English Channel; at least 31 dead
At least 31 migrants bound for Britain died Wednesday when their boat sank in the English Channel, in what France’s interior minister called the biggest migration tragedy on the dangerous crossing to date.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 34 people were believed to have been on the boat. Authorities found 31 bodies — including those of five women and a young girl — and two survivors, he said. One person appeared to still be missing. The nationalities of the travelers was not immediately known.
The regional maritime authority, which oversees rescue operations, later said 27 bodies were found, two people survived and four others were missing and presumed drowned. The discrepancy in the numbers was not immediately explained.
Ever-increasing numbers of people fleeing conflict or poverty in Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq, Eritrea or elsewhere are risking the perilous journey in small, unseaworthy craft from France, hoping to win asylum or find better opportunities in Britain. The crossings have tripled this year compared to 2020, and another 106 migrants were rescued in French waters on Wednesday alone.
A joint French-British search operation for survivors of the sinking was called off late Wednesday. Both countries cooperate to stem migration across the Channel but also accuse each other of not doing enough — and the issue is often used by politicians on both sides pushing an anti-migration agenda.
Four suspected traffickers were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of being linked to the sunken boat, Darmanin told reporters in the French port city of Calais. He said two of the suspects later appeared in court.
The regional prosecutor opened an investigation into aggravated manslaughter, organized illegal migration and other charges after the sinking. Lille Prosecutor Carole Etienne told The Associated Press that officials were still working to identify the victims and determine their ages and nationalities, and that the investigation may involve multiple countries.
“It’s a day of great mourning for France, for Europe, for humanity to see these people die at sea,” Darmanin said. He lashed out at “criminal traffickers” driving thousands to risk the crossing.
Activists demonstrated outside the port of Calais on Wednesday night, accusing governments of not doing enough to respond to migrants’ needs. Hundreds of people live in precarious conditions along the French coast, despite regular police patrols and evacuation operations.
The bodies were brought to the Calais port, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, head of the ports of Calais and Boulogne, told The AP. “We were waiting for something like this to happen,” he said, given the growing numbers of people risking the passage.
Aid groups blamed European governments for increasingly hard-line migration policies. “The U.K. is not a choice, it is an escape, an escape for people fleeing the lack of welcome in Europe,” said Nikolai Posner of French charity Utopia 56.
Darmanin called for coordination with the U.K., saying “the response must also come from Great Britain.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke after Wednesday’s tragedy and agreed “that it is vital to keep all options on the table to stop these lethal crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs behind them,” Johnson’s office said.
Downing Street said the two leaders “underlined the importance of close working with neighbors in Belgium and the Netherlands as well as partners across the continent if we are to tackle the problem effectively before people reach the French coast.”
Macron stressed “the shared responsibility” of France and the U.K. and told Johnson he expects full cooperation from the British and that they do not use the tragic situation “for political purposes,” the Elysee said.
France’s government is holding an emergency meeting Thursday morning to discuss next steps. Macron advocated an immediate funding boost for the European Union’s border agency, Frontex, and an emergency meeting of European government ministers, according to his office. “France will not allow the Channel to become a cemetery,” Macron said.
Johnson convened a meeting of the government’s crisis committee, and said he was “shocked, appalled and deeply saddened.”
He urged France to step up efforts to stem the flow of migrants, and said Wednesday’s incident highlighted how efforts by French authorities to patrol their beaches “haven’t been enough.”
“We’ve had difficulties persuading some of our partners, particularly the French, to do things in a way that we think the situation deserves,” he told reporters.
Darmanin insisted that France has worked hard to prevent crossings, rescuing 7,800 people since January and stopping 671 who were trying to cross on Wednesday alone.
A French naval boat spotted several bodies in the water around 2 p.m. and rescue boats retrieved several dead and injured from the surrounding waters, a maritime authority spokesperson said. French patrol boats, a French helicopter and a British helicopter searched the area.
More than 25,700 people undertook such dangerous boat journeys so far this year — three times the total for the whole of 2020. With changeable weather, cold seas and heavy maritime traffic, the crossing is dangerous for the inflatables and other small boats that men, women and children squeeze into.
Migrants from around the world have long used northern France as a launching point to reach Britain by stowing away in trucks or using dinghies and other small boats organized by smugglers. Many want to reach the U.K. in search of economic opportunity or because of family and community ties, or because their efforts to win asylum in the EU failed. French authorities say another big draw is lax British rules toward migrants without residency papers.
Read: 3 die as passenger vessel hits bulkhead in Turag
The overall number of people applying for asylum in Britain is down slightly on last year, and Britain receives much fewer asylum seekers than comparable European countries like Germany or France.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says an estimated 1,600 people have died or disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea this year while trying to reach Europe from North Africa or Turkey. Hundreds more have perished in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa on a migrant route to Spain’s Canary Islands.
“How many more times must we see people lose their life trying to reach safety in the UK because of the woeful lack of safe means to do so?” said Tom Davies, Amnesty International U.K.’s refugee and migrant rights campaign manager.
Read: Turag trawler capsize: Death toll rises to 5
“We desperately need a new approach to asylum, including genuine Anglo-French efforts to devise safe asylum routes to avoid such tragedies happening again,” he added.
Padma boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 5, 3 remain missing
The death toll from last week’s tragic boat accident in the Padma river rose to five with the recovery of another child’s body on Monday.
Three people still remain missing, said the officials.
The body of missing Brishti Khatun,8, daughter of Harunur Rashid of of Bish Rossia village in Panka union of Shibganj upazila was recovered from barrier dam-8 area of the river.
Officer-in-Charge of Shibganj police station, Asaduzzaman said family members of the child spotted the body in the morning and recovered it from the river.
Also read: Padma boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 4
The body was buried without an autopsy according to the family’s request, he said.
The tragedy occurred on September 29, afternoon when the boat carrying 47 people sank in the Padma river off the coast of Laxmipur in Shibganj.
The other five deceased were identified as Nilufar Begum, 62, wife of Khairul Islam of Bish Rossia village in Panka union of Shibganj upazila, and her grandchildren Maisha, 5, and Asmaul 7, children of Babu Ali, and Daisy Begum,35, wife of Harunur Rashid, Bish Rossia village.
Also read: 2 dead, 7 missing in Sirajganj boat accident
Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shakib Al Rabbi said the boat carrying around 50 people capsized in the river around 2.15 pm owing to strong winds.
The boat was heading towards Bishrashia from Boglauri of Shibganj upazila.
Couple drowns in boat capsize in Titas River, minor girl missing
A couple drowned and their minor daughter went missing when a boat overturned in the Titas River due to strong current in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district on Monday.
The deceased were identified as Riyad, 30, son of Dulal Mia of Kaitala, Riyad’s wife Liza Akter, 25. The couple’s only daughter Maria, 7 went missing.
Nure Alam, inspector of Nabinagar police station, said the couple along with their child went for a boat ride in the river.
Also read: Speedboat capsize: 4 bodies retrieved in Patuakhali
When the boat reached Bhairabnagar-Khulia point of the river, it capsized in swift current.
Three people managed to swim ashore while Riyad, Liza and Maria went missing.
Later, local people recovered the bodies and sent those to the local hospital.
Also read: Padma boat capsize: Bodies of missing AIUB student, cousin found after 8 days
UNHCR ready to support rescue work after Rohingya boat capsize
The UN refugee agency has said it remains in contact with the Rohingya communities both on Bhasan Char and in Cox's Bazar in an attempt to support the authorities in further rescue efforts following Saturday’s boat capsize in the Bay of Bengal.
On the morning of 14 August, UNHCR was alerted that a boat carrying dozens of Rohingyas had capsized close to Bhasan Char island overnight.
"We are devastated that reportedly many passengers, including women and children, have tragically drowned. The confirmed number is not yet known," said the UN agency.
Also read: Vaccination: UNHCR lauds Bangladesh for inclusion of Rohingyas
UNHCR said they are grateful to local Bangladeshi fishermen who were first on the scene and alerted Bangladeshi authorities.
The search and rescue operation is being led by the authorities, notably the Bangladesh Navy and the Coast Guard.
"We are seeking further information from the Government of Bangladesh at this time," said the UNHCR.
Also read: Refugee Policy Review done by UNHCR following its framework
4 missing after boat sinks in Agunmukha River
Four people went missing after a speedboat with 17 people capsized in Agunmukha River at Patuakhali’s Rangabali on Thursday.
Padma boat capsize: Bodies of missing AIUB student, cousin found after 8 days
Locals have recovered the bodies of a missing university student and her cousin eight days after a boat capsized in the Padma River in Rajshahi.
24 migrants feared dead in boat capsize near Libya
At least two dozen people drowned and presumed dead after a boat carrying migrants bound for Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya, the UN migration agency said Tuesday.