Four people drowned and 10 others includinga minor girl went missing in the Buriganga after clashes involving two groups of picnickers and Ansars on board a launch at Sadarghatlastnight.

Of the four, Shanto, Javed, and Shaheen were businessmen from old Dhaka while identity of the other could not be known.

The divers of Fire Service and Civil Defence recovered the four bodies and were scouring the area for more as of filing this report at 2:00am.

"A three-member probe body

was formed to investigate the incident," said Additional Superintendent of Police (Dhaka circle) Mohammad Nozmitl Hossain told the Daily Star.

The fight broke out at 4:00pm when the launch 'MV-Ncw Sun-4’ carrying the pleasure trippers reached near Meghna Bridge on its way back to Sadarghat. Around 35 youths split into two groups brawled over some female members of the picnic party.

Most of them were drunk, a member of the musical band hired forthe tourtoldTheDaily Star.

Hie launch pulled up in midstream

at 5:00pm for the feuding youths to patch thingsupbuttonoeffect.

Soon after the first clash, six to seven of one group left the launch near Postagola by a boat. Before leaving, they threatened the others that they would have dire consequences.

As soon as the launch reached Sadarghat terminal al 7:45pm a gang of 25 people swooped on the passengers on the deck. As they beat up the picnickers indiscriminately,(everyone ran helter-skelter forcover. Soon the Ansars charged baton to disperse the rowdy crowd.

At that time, many including girls jumped into the water to escape the melee. When some of them tried to get on three small boats floating nearby, the boats overturned.

The rescue operation started at around 9:00pm, Selim Newaj Bhuiyan, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence, told The DailyStar.

"The launch with around 200 people mostly businessmen from Dholaikhal left for a pleasure trip on Meghna at 11:30am," said Nahid, one of the picnic-goers.

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