SHARIATPUR:
An 11-year-old madrasa student was killed and two other children were injured when a small cargo vessel rammed a moving ferry on the Meghna river along the Shariatpur-Chandpur route this morning.
The deceased, Tarikul Islam, was a resident of Damudya upazila in Shariatpur and was travelling with his family from Chandpur when the accident occurred, said River Police.
The incident happened around 9:00am in the Berachakki area of Bhedarganj upazila.
Iqbal Hossain, manager of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation's (BIWTC) Narasinghapur ferry ghat, said the ferry Kakoli had left Harinaghat in Chandpur for Narasinghapur ghat in Shariatpur around 8:00am.
After crossing the main stretch of the Meghna and entering the mouth of the Lakshirchar channel, the ferry collided with a small cargo vessel approaching from the opposite direction. The cargo vessel, carrying drums of soybean oil, was travelling from Dhaka to Patuakhali.
Iqbal said several vessels were navigating the river at the time. The ferry crew repeatedly used loudspeakers to warn the cargo vessel to move away from its path and maintain a safe distance. However, those operating the cargo vessel continued at a slow pace instead of steering clear. At one point, it rammed violently into the front railing of the moving ferry, pushing a truck parked at the front of the ferry backwards.
Passengers were knocked down by the impact, while four to five madrasa students on the ferry's deck also fell, he said.
Tarikul was holding on to the railing and watching the river when the collision occurred. The impact pushed the truck towards him. He sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot.
The two other injured children were rescued and taken to Chandpur aboard another vessel for first aid.
Syed Mushfiqur Rahman, superintendent of Chandpur region River Police, said those aboard the cargo vessel attempted to flee with it after the collision.
River police later seized the vessel and detained two of its workers, the ferry master was also detained.
A case will be filed against them on charges of causing death by negligence, the superintendent added.