A seven-member probe committee, formed by the Ministry of Shipping to investigate the launch incident in the Padma River, started public hearing over the incident on Tuesday morning.
The committee started the work at the Mawa’s Rest House in Munshiganj. Witnesses, who are mainly survivor passengers of the launch and the local people took part in the public hearing on the first day.
Testimony of some them was taken. Abul Kalam, 70, from Madaripur, one of the survivors, took part in the public hearing. He described the story of the launch disaster.
Chief of the probe body Nur-ur-Rahman, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, visited the venue of the incident.
The authorities on Monday called off the eight-day operation in search of Pinak 6 that sank in the Padma with over 250 passengers. The launch Pinak-6 sank near the Mawa Ghat on August 4 in the Padma River near the Mawa Terminal. Soon after, local people using boats, sea-boats and trawlers launched rescue operation.
Saiful Hasan, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Munshiganj, said that considering the reality, the river and weather conditions, they believed there was no scope of continuing the operation. So, they suspended the operation.
According to the latest official count, 45 dead bodies were recovered of which 18 remained unidentified. They have been buried in Madaripur. At least 110 people have been rescued alive so far while over 120 remained missing in the water of the river.
The DC of Munshiganj said that the local administration and the police of the downstream districts and the Coast Guard would be on the lookout for more bodies. “If we find even one body, it will be sent to Madaripur. We will try to identify the body and hand it to the family.”
He also said the salvage ship Rustom would stand by at Mawa as long as situation demand.
