A sailor has gone missing after two vessels sank near Bhashan Char in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday.
The lighter vessels were carrying goods from Chittagong Port to Narayanganj, said Mohammad Selim, deputy director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).
The missing sailor was working on the ‘Khaja Baba Faridpuri’, which was laden with 1,700 metric tonnes of wheat, he told bdnews24.com. The other vessel that sank was called ‘N Islam’.
“The Khaja Baba started to sink in the waters one-nautical mile east off Bhashan Char. One member of its 13-strong crew remains unaccounted for,” said Selim.
Vessels are instructed to cross Bhashan Char during high tide, spending at least three hours for safe navigation. “But there was low tide when Khaja Baba Faridpuri was crossing the area, which caused it to sink.”
‘N Islam’ sank when its hull cracked from crashing into another vessel near Bhashan Char, said the BIWTA official.
“The crew on N Islam said its hull cracked after colliding with a vessel named City-19. The lighter vessel was taking a corn shipment to Narayanganj.”
“When the vessel began to take in water, the captain took it closer to the river island. At one point, only its top parts could be seen above water. The crew members from N Islam are all safe.”
