The rescuers could not trace the ill-fated Pinak-6 even six days after the passenger launch carrying more than 200 persons on board capsized and sank in river Padma on Monday last.The rescuers, however, on Saturday claimed that they had received signal from a metallic object resembling the sunken launch Pinak-6 in size in the Padma a kilometre off the Mawa launch ghat in Munshiganj.”We have identified a metallic object in our eco sounder which seems similar to the sunken launch by its width and length,” Manjurul Karim Chowdhury, captain of the survey vessel Kandari-2 told the reporters.But, it cannot be confirmed right now whether it is of the remains of Pinak 6, he said, adding that the object was moving due to the strong current. “We will send divers to examine it,” he said.He said the length of the detected metal is equal to the length of the launches those ply on this route.Meanwhile, the rescuers have selected several possible locations within 20 kilometres downstream in Padma from where Pinak-6 capsized on Monday.Kandari-2 is working at the locations calculating the weight of the launch and the intensity of the current.As of Saturday afternoon, the death toll from the launch capsize has risen to 43. The number of missing people is still 122 on the government list. Among them, 24 bodies of the victims were handed over to their relatives, but other 16 bodies could not be identified.On the sixth day of the launch tragedy, body of a five-year-old child victim was recovered in Lalmohan Upazila of Bhola while two bodies were whisked from Hatia upazila of Noakhali.Earlier, survey vessels Jarip-10 and Kandari-2 resumed search on the day after rain hampered their work last night.These two vessels are able to locate objects 18 to 70 feet under the river sediment, according to the officials concerned.Meanwhile, four more vessels – Teesta, Sandhan, IT-97 and Ba-Dwip – started using side scan sonar technology in their searching strategy, said Commander Habibul Alam, deputy director of Naval Headquarters.”They are searching the adjacent 50 square kilometres from the actual spot with graph tubes that are able to follow the optimal current of the river,” he added.Using the similar technology, Kandari-2 went 20 kilometres downstream, the official said.Rescue vessels Nirvik and Rustam were seen floating idly in mid-Padma as the location of Pinak-6 was not found.Denying an allegation of delaying the search operation, Shamsuddoha Khandaker, chairman of Bangladesh Internal Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) told media that they were trying their best. There was a strong current near the spot and the depth of the water is about 80 to 90 feet.”A massive hole has been created on the riverbed by the current; the sunken launch might have been covered by sediment in there,” he added.
