Child dies after falling from overloaded trawler in Pirojpur; mother still missing
A mother and daughter who came to watch Durga Puja in Pirojpur went missing after falling from a trawler into a river. About three hours later, the eight-year-old girl was recovered dead. Her mother, Rina Bepari, 35, was still missing as of Monday night.
The accident happened around 9pm on Monday (19 October) near the Sriramkathi-Bharatkathi ferry ghat, on the border of Nazirpur and Nesarabad upazilas.
The child recovered dead was named Arpita Bepari. She was the daughter of Sankar Bepari of Bharatkathi village in Guarekha Union of Nesarabad upazila. Her father works as a security guard at an organisation in Dhaka.
Local sources said Sankar Bepari had come to his village home with his family for the Durga Puja holiday. On Monday night he took his wife and daughter to watch the Puja at Sriramkathi, and they were returning by trawler to their home in Bharatkathi afterwards.
Around 9pm the trawler set out from Sriramkathi in Nazirpur towards Bharatkathi ferry ghat carrying 50 to 60 passengers and six motorcycles. After travelling a short distance, the trawler tilted to one side under the weight of the extra passengers and motorcycles.
At one point 15 to 20 passengers fell into the river. Most managed to swim ashore with the help of local people, but Sankar Bepari's wife and daughter went missing.
On receiving the news, a Fire Service diving team began a rescue operation. At around 11:10pm Arpita was recovered dead. Police and the Fire Service later handed her body over to the family.
Nazirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sajia Shahnaz Toma, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md. Ahsan Habib and Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Nasrin Jahan visited the spot and supervised the rescue work.
Nazirpur police station officer-in-charge Tariqul Islam said the accident happened because the trawler was overloaded. Of the missing mother and daughter, the girl was recovered dead and handed over to the family. Legal action over the incident is under process.
Pirojpur Fire Service deputy director Raihanur Ashraf said the girl had been recovered from among the missing mother and daughter. As the night deepened, the rescue operation was suspended for the time being and would resume on Tuesday morning.
UNO Sajia Shahnaz Toma said the overloaded trawler tilted to one side around 9pm and passengers fell into the river. The other passengers managed to reach the bank, but the mother and daughter could not. With the help of the Fire Service diving team, the girl was recovered dead. Efforts to find the missing mother are continuing, and if anyone is found negligent, legal action will be taken.
The rescue operation ran until 1am before being suspended. The Fire Service said it would resume from 6am on Tuesday. On a night when the family was returning home from a festival, they are now waiting for news of the missing mother.
