Bangladesh bridal boat accident death toll rises to 9
The death toll after a wedding party boat accident on a river in North-Western Bangladesh, on Monday rose to nine, with rescuers finding two more bodies, including that of the bride, officials said.
According to Abdur Rouf of the Fire Service Department, Divers recovered the body of the 20-year old bride, Sweety Purnima, after local residents found her body in a wedding dress nearly 10 kilometres downstream from the accident site.
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Rouf said the department also found the body of one of the bride’s relatives, who supervised the four-day rescue operation.
Earlier, six bodies were recovered from the water and a further victim, a five-year-old child, died in hospital after the boats carrying nearly 40 passengers sank near Sreerampur village in Rajshahi district.
According to the Local Government official, Sadat Hossain, the accident occurred when a three-boat bridal fleet on its way to the bride’s home for a traditional reception was hit by gusts of wind on Friday evening.
Twenty-seven passengers, including the groom, managed to swim ashore with the help of local residents.
District Administration official Abu Aslam, in charge of investigation into the accident, said the rescue operation was called off after all the missing victims were found.
He added that the bodies were handed to the respective families for burial.
Deaths from boat accidents are frequent in Bangladesh, a country of many rivers. Experts blame poor safety measures and the lax implementation of regulations.
(dpa/NAN)
