At least 682 peoples were killed in the last 10 years in nine major incidents of launch capsize in the country, excluding the one on Friday.

Besides, there were so many incidents of sinking of small launches, trawlers and other water vessels.

The casualties in Friday night's launch capsize is yet to be ascertained. The launch sank in the Meghna at shaitnal in Chandpur district with 160 to 200 passengers apparently due to a twister. But officials of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Department of Shipping declined to specify the reason of the accident.

Most of the nine major launch accidents took place due to reckless plying of those, overloading and negligence of the authorities concerned. Storms caused a few accidents.

At least 121 people were killed when two launches capsized in the Meghna in Narsingdi district due to a nor'wester on May 1, 2000.

A launch carrying 350 passengers sank in the Meghna in Chandpur on August 20, 1994 because of a storm, leaving around 100 people killed and nearly 100 others missing.

At least 62 people drowned when a launch capsized in the same river in Bhola district on March 26, 1993 during a storm.

On December 29, 2000, at least 64 people including 33 children and 18 women were killed and 25 were missing when an overloaded launch was hit by another in the Meghna at Ekhlaspur, some 30 kilometres north of Chandpur town.

Two launches engaged in a reckless race collided at Badarpur channel in Barishal on June 14, 2000. It left 20 people killed and 50 others missing.

An overloaded passenger launch sank in the Meghna on December 11, 1999, leaving around 63 people killed and over 100 missing. In another incident, two launches collided in the Jamuna near Aricha in Manikganj on May 24,

1996, killing at least 77 people. Several others were missing.

Around 175 people drowned when a launch capsized in the river Tetulia in Barisal on March 28, 1993.

According to BIWTA officials, around 300 big launches are plying the major routes from Dhaka's Sadarghat. In addition to this, nearly five lakh vessels are plying the country's waterways without required documents or clearance whatsoever.

But the authorities concerned lack adequate monitoring mechanism. Taking advantage of this, overloaded and unsafe water vessels continue to ply and also engage in reckless races, endangering passengers' lives.

" Whenever there is a launch accident, the higher authorities seem to be very active. But within a month, they simply forget that in the absence of proper action, such accidents would continue to take place", said a frustrated BIWTA official.