bdnews24.com :A body probing the sinking of Pinak-6 has been granted more time to wrap up the investigation. It is the third such extension given to the probe team.Shipping department Executive Magistrate Saiful Islam, a member of committee, said the Shipping Ministry had granted on Sunday another five days to complete the probe.”Pinak-6 owner Abu Bakkar Siddiki Kalu and his son Omar Faruk Limon were quizzed at the jail gate on Friday for one and half hours. Important facts have emerged from it. More time is needed to verify them and collect documents,” Islam told bdnews24.com.The inquiry committee has recorded the testimonies of 32 people, he added.”Those responsible for the disaster have been identified. Committee member and BUET teacher Goutam Kumar Saha has found flaws in the vessel design.”The Shipping Ministry formed the probe body with seven members after passenger ferry Pinak-6, with more than 200 hundred passengers on board, sank in the strong currents of the Padma at Louhajang turning point, near Munshiganj’s Mawa, on Aug 4.A week-long search for the vessel was called off on Aug 11 after rescuers failed to trace the launch.According to official figures, the body count from the mishap stood at 48 with 59 passengers still unaccounted for. But unofficial estimates say more people are missing.
