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62 drown as boat collides with cargo vessel in Surma

IQBAL SIDDIQUIEE, Sylhet
At least 62 people drowned and 20 are missing as a mechanised boat sank in the Surma river near Mallikpur village about six kilometres off the Chhatak upazila headquarters on Friday night.
The tragedy befell at about 7:40 pm when the boat collided with a cargo vessel --MV Sigma-1-- which was going to Chhatak from Dhaka to carry stone.
The boat, starting from Gowainghat, was carrying over 150 people, mostly poor stone quarry labourers and their families. They were returning home in different areas like Kalmakanda in Netrokona and Tahirpur, Jamalganj, and Madhyanagar upazilas in Sunamganj district.
Bodies of 39 children, 20 women and a man have been recovered so far. Of these, the body of a one-year boy remained unidentified, officials said.
Some of the male persons who were on the roof of the boat managed to swim ashore. Most of the women drowned as they tried to save their children, said some of the survivors.
As the bodies were brought on the premises of Chhatak police station, a heart-rending scene was created with survivors and relatives of the victims wailing
SEE PAGE 11 COL 7 FROM PAGE 1 over those.
The dead have been identified as Jarina Khatun, 30, Parishakar Bibi, 60, Sakhina Khatun, 45, Hamida Khatun, 35, Zobeda Khatun, 12, Nagendra Dass, 60, Suchitra Dass, 12, Julhash Miah, 8, Rana, 7, Nasima, 36, Anwara, 35, Kasirun Mia, 10, Delwar, 10, Kamrunnahar, 2, Sabiqunnahar, 5, Sijafa Khatun, 12, Nazma, 7, Shabnur, 3, Salma, 6, Fatem, 12, Mizanur, 5, Julekha, 45, Hena, 3, Rahima, 15, Zosthsna, 10, Shirina, 5, China, 2, Majeda, 45, Amena, 25, Sohel, 10, Rahima, 2, Kabil, 8, Bedana, 40, Julhash Miah, 8, Ayesha, 22, Nargis, 8, Amatya (4 months), Fatema, 1, Sohel, 11, Bedana Begum, 40, Kanchanmala, 25, Delwar, 14 months, Quashem, 1, Alpana Begum, 5, Majida, 12, Hamida Begum, 8, Nasir Uddin, 10, Alema, 5, Majida Khatun, 11, Minara, 40, Fulema, 35, Ishaque Miah, 7, Nima Begum, 2, Alfa Begum, 35, Yasin, 13, Hasina, 18, Sharif, 9, Shilpa, 6, Mohammad Jalil, and unidentified 1.
Most of the victims are from villages in Kalmakanda upazila in Netrokona district.
Some of the survivors alleged that the cargo vessel had no headlight. Its small sidelights provided poor visibility at night.
Soon after the disaster, some crew of the cargo vessel rescued some people but they fled away when villagers from nearby areas rushed for rescuing the
victims.
The Chhatak police led by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer started rescue operation with the help of local people at about 9:30pm.
Only a cook of the cargo vessel-Hajart Ali- was later taken to custody.
In the morning, the Sylhet Divisional Commissioner and DIG of Police; Deputy Commissioner and SP of Sunamganj reached the spot and supervised the rescue operation. Later, Jatiya Sangsad Whip Fazlul Haque Aspia and local political leader Kolim Uddin Milon went there.
The Sunamganj district administration gave Tk 1000, a lungi and a saree to relatives of each of victims.
The bodies were handed over to the families and were sent to their village homes yesterday afternoon.
The Chhatak Poursshava also gave Tk 10,000 for the victims.