Staff Reporter :
Sixty-four passengers are still missing although one year has already elapsed since the ‘Pinak-6′ launch tragedy that occurred on August 4 in 2014. The missing passengers’ family members could not still overcome their grief.
Sumaiya Akhter, mother of a boy who was in the launch, said with chocked voice that her son worked in Dhaka to maintain family. With the launch disaster, we have missed him forever.
Nurul Haque Hawlader lost her two daughters named Nusrat Jahan Hira and Fatematuzzoha Swarna.
Tapon Kumar Das, a hotel businessman at Mawa Ghat, told the journalists on Tuesday that it was very horrific scenario of capsizing of the launch. “Many people come here to search for their relatives. But we cannot give them any answer,” he said.
Binu Khan, General Secretary of Speedboat Owner Association of Shimulia Ghat, said the launch sank due to overloading of passengers.
“The people come here to get their relative’s body. The ghat has been removed form here. That is why, smaller number of relatives of the missing passengers come here for the missing bodies,” Binu Khan said.
Although, the government gave Tk 1,25000 to the family of every deceased, the missing family members did not get any money.
As per the government information, 49 bodies had been recovered from the Meghna and the Padma rivers after the capsize of the launch.
According to the relatives and various rights groups, at least 64 passengers remained missing.
It may be mentioned that the ‘Pinak-6’ incident was one of the most tragic accidents in Bangladesh’s inland waterways. The launch packed with passengers capsized in Padma River at Lauhajang upazila in Munshiganj district, claiming over 100 lives on this day in 2014. The overloaded launch with over 250 passengers on board left Kawrakandi of Madaripur and sank in Padma River, 800 yards off Mawaghat (jetty) of Munshiganj due to strong currents when it was heading towards the jetty.
