A fire that broke out on the "MV Bangali" launch in Dhaka’s Shyambar Launch Terminal was brought under control on Tuesday. Five firefighting units brought the fire under control at 1:45 pm on Tuesday, said Talha Bin Zasim Station Officer of FSCD headquarters media cell. Earlier, the fire broke out at 12:55 pm. No passengers were on the launch at the time of the fire, added the fire official.

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

At least 10 people including women and children were injured as a Dhaka-bound launch from Bhola, the Karnafuli-3, caught fire in the middle of the Meghna river in Majherchar area in Chandpur's Haimchar on Saturday (April 20, 2024). Md Shahadat Hossain, deputy director of Chandpur BIWTA, said the fire broke out around 11:30am due to a technical glitch. At the time, 10 people were injured in the launch fire incident as they panicked and jumped into the river, he added. The stranded passengers of Karnaphuli-3 were being taken to Dhaka through Karnaphuli-4 launch. Read more: Banani slum fire under control On information, our investigation team along with the fire service rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control, he added. However, the reason behind the fire could not be known immediately. The injured were treated locally. Meanwhile, senior police officers of Naval Police Chandpur region visited the spot soon after the incident, added the officer. Read more: TK Group’s super board manufacturing factory catches fire in Munshiganj

Launch services from Chandpur to all routes resumed on Monday morning after 60 hours of suspension due to Cyclone Mocha. Deputy Director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Shahadat Hossain said launch services resumed as per the decision of the higher authorities. The launch services remained suspended from 11 pm on Friday. Read More: Cyclone Mocha: Launch services on Chandpur route suspended Chnadpur ghat manager Faysal Alam Chowdhury said ferry operation from Harina ferry terminal  in Chandpur and Alurbazar terminal in Shaiatpur resumed operation after 50 hours of suspension.  

Although a year has passed since the Barguna launch fire tragedy, families still mourn their missing loved ones.   A devastating fire broke out at Barguna-bound launch ‘MV-Avijan-10’ on December 24 last year. The launch, with 800 passengers on board, was heading towards Barguna and the fire broke out on Sugandha river in Jhalakathi.   Forty-nine people died in the tragedy while the exact numbers of passengers traveling on the launch and the missing passengers are yet to be known. One hundred people were injured in the incident.    Many did not get any compensation for what they lost during the fire. Besides, families of missing passengers say no financial assistance has been provided to them.   After the fire, the local administration of Barguna district handed over 25 bodies to their relatives while 23 people were buried in a mass graveyard in the district.   Khalil, along with his wife and three children, was heading towards Barguna by the launch. Khalil and his wife managed to survive but they still mourn their three missing children.   Meanwhile, Golam Mahbub’s offspring and elderly mother are inconsolable after losing him and his brother during the launch fire.   Criminal Investigation Department (CID) collected samples of 51 people for identifying the 23 unclaimed bodies that were buried in Potkakhali mass graveyard in the Sadar upazila of Barguna district. Sixteen eople have been identified through DNA test.   A case with Barguna Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against the owner of MV Avijan-10, Hamjalal Sheikh, and 24 others in connection with the deadly fire on the launch has been lodged, said Shahidul Islam Milon, inspector (Investigation) of Barguna police station.  

With less than two weeks left for Eid-ul-Fitr, rundown and faulty launches are being refurbished and repaired to sail on river routes across the country during the huge rush of holidaymakers, endangering hundreds of lives. At least 30 defective launches are getting a quick facelift with cosmetic repairs at various dockyards in Keraniganj on the outskirts of the city aiming to make a fast buck by carrying passengers of 22 southern districts during the Eid festival. Experts said the condition of most of the rivers before the Eid may become risky with the possibility of nor’westers, strong current and gusty winds due to the influence of new moon as the passenger launch accidents in the country’s inland waterways happen at this time mainly for overloading of passengers, faulty vessels, risky competition, mismanagement and lack of trained, skilled and competent crews. They said the government must take strict measures to check the operation of unfit and faulty vessels and overloading and ensure adequate fire safety and lifesaving equipment in each launch to avoid any untoward incident during the mad rush of passengers at launch terminals ahead of the Eid. Also read: Launch owners’ profit motive makes Eid journeys fraught with risk Meanwhile, National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) in a report on Tuesday last said the Sadarghat terminal will witness an unusual pressure as 40 lakh people from three districts--Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj--are likely to travel to the coastal districts by launches during this Eid occasion. It also said there are not enough vessels to carry so many one-way passengers in just 12 days, cautioning that the launches can carry passengers beyond their capacity on decks and roofs during the season of natural disasters like nor'westers and storms.  

Panic gripped the passengers of Barishal-bound launch ‘MV Prince Awlad-10’ as thick smoke filled the engine room of the launch, prompting the authorities to anchor it at Munshiganj terminal Saturday midnight. Sazzad Hossain, an employee of the launch, said the authorities noticed smoke billowing from the engine room of the launch around 11:30 pm while installing adjuster in the silencer pipe. The authorities anchored the launch at Munshiganj terminal for checking. READ: Sadarghat launch fire doused On information, a fire fighting unit rushed to the spot for examining the source of smoke. Our Munshiganj correspondent reports: Muktarpur river police in-charge Lutfur Rahman said the launch started for Barishal around 1 am as a firefighting unit found it safe after examining.  A fire broke out on the Barguna-bound launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes, claiming the lives of 49 people on December 24, 2021.

A fire that broke out in a launch at Sadarghat Launch Terminal in the capital on Sunday has been doused. The fire broke out at launch ‘Adventure-9’ at 10:52 am and spread soon, Md Shahjahan Shikdar, Deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence. On information, seven firefighting units rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire around 2 pm. Read: Death toll rises to 12 in N'ganj launch tragedy

At least six bodies, including of a three-year-old child, were recovered after launch carrying around 50-60 passengers went down in the Shitalakkhya River after being hit by a cargo vessel near Al Aminnagar in Narayanganj Sunday afternoon. One of the deceased was identified as Joynal, aged about 50, while the bodies of a 10-year-old girl, an 18-year-old girl, a 45-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman remained unidentified, said Narayanganj Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Abdullah Al Arefin. The fire service official said they recovered five bodies and the locals recovered Joynal’s body. The bodies will be handed over to the relatives through the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). Around 20 passengers were still missing, he said. Besides, 15-20 passengers managed to swim ashore, he added. The naval police seized MV Ruposhi-9, a cargo ship owned by City Group. The cargo anchored at ‘Hossain The Dockyard’ in Munshiganj shortly after the accident, said Moniruzzaman Monir, officer-in-charge (OC) of Narayanganj Naval Police Station. Read: How rules flouting and negligence cause frequent launch disasters in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) on Sunday suspended the operations of MV Surovi-9 over allegations of a technical glitch after a fire broke out on it Saturday night while carrying 300 passengers. Meanwhile, Barishal River Port officer Mostafizur Rahman lodged a complaint against the launch manager Mizan and other staff of the launch over the incident and for attacking the journalists. Mostafizur Rahman, the operation of the launch on Dhaka-Barishal-Dhaka route, will remain suspended until further notice. “The decision was taken followed by the chaotic situation created over the technical glitch and attack on journalists,” he said. Also read: Fire breaks out in Barishal-bound launch; Doused quickly Earlier two camerapersons lodged separate complaints against the manager over the incident of attack. According to camerapersons of Independent Television and two other private channels they were attacked around 11pm while recording video footage of the launch as it was brought to Barishal.  No damages or casualties were reported in the fire that originated in the engine room of MV Survi-9 launch as it was extinguished before it could spread. Kaiser Alam, BIWTA's Chandpur port officer said, passengers were sent to Barishal by another launch considering the security issue and MV Survi-9 has been docked at Mohanpur ghat. Also read: Jhalakathi launch fire: Probe body submits report On December 24, a deadly fire broke out in Barguna-bound launch MV Abhijan-10 carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes. The death toll from the fire accident reached 49 till January 3. Besides, over 70 people suffered injuries, and many of them are currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals.