At least four people were killed and six more were rescued as a speedboat and a motorised trawler collided in the Meghna River under Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj on Friday.
Gazaria police station officer-in-charge Md Anwar Alam Azad said on Saturday afternoon that the accident took place at about 10:00pm on Friday near Guagachia union, likely due to poor visibility caused by dense fog and darkness.
鈥楾he accident occurred due to heavy fog, resulting in the collision between the trawler and the speedboat. Four people have been killed so far, and further details will be provided later,鈥� he added.
Bodies of Wadud Bepari, 36, from Jamalpur village in Gazaria upazila, Babul Sarkar, 48, from Ramzanbeg village in Munshiganj upazila, and Sakib, 26, were recovered from the river on Friday night while 24-year-old speedboat operator Nayeem鈥檚 body were recovered on Saturday afternoon.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority deputy director Md Obaidul Karim Khan said, 鈥楢fter the collision, the trawler sank and the speedboat was damaged. We believe the deceased were passengers in the trawler.鈥�
One individual was reported missing, who was recovered on Saturday afternoon near the accident site, he added.
According to police and local people, the deceased and injured were reportedly active members of the notorious river pirate gang 鈥楴ayan Bahini,鈥� who were involved were involved in illegal sand mining.
Deceased Odud Bepari鈥檚 wife Ferdousi, however, claimed that the allegation was false.
She said that the accident occurred while the victims were returning from a social event in Matlab North upazila.