
A tragic collision between two passenger launches on the Meghna River left at least 8 people dead and around 50 injured in the early hours of Friday.
The accident occurred near the Harina area of Chandpur Sadar at approximately 2 am, driven by extremely poor visibility.
The collision involved the Dhaka-bound MV Zakir Samrat-3 and the Barishal-bound MV Adventure-9.
According to Chandpur BIWTA Deputy Director Babu Lal Vaidya, the vessels crashed head-on amid a thick blanket of fog that has blanketed the region's riverways.
The force of the impact caused immediate fatalities on the scene.
However, the identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed, as both launches reportedly continued toward their respective destinations shortly after the incident.
Search and rescue efforts remained difficult throughout the night due to the weather conditions.
In a separate incident on Thursday night, another passenger launch, the MV Imam Hasan-5, met with an accident while returning to Chandpur.
The vessel, carrying over 1000 passengers, collided with an anchored sand-laden bulkhead in the Mohanpur area of the Meghna River in Matlab Uttar upazila.
Fortunately, despite the high number of passengers on board and the significant impact, no casualties were reported in this second mishap.
Local authorities and BIWTA officials have expressed deep concern over the recurring accidents caused by the seasonal dense fog.
They have urged launch masters and vessel operators to exercise extreme caution or suspend movement during periods of zero visibility to prevent further loss of life.
Naval police and BIWTA officials are currently investigating both incidents to determine if there was any negligence beyond the environmental factors.




