- At least 26 people died on Sunday in Shitalakshya River ferry sinking
- Passengers were rushing to leave the city following the announcement of a weeklong nationwide lockdown
- Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh because of frequent overcrowding and poor maintenance and safety standards
According to media reports, at least 26 people died, when a small double-decker ferry, carrying more than 50 passengers, was hit by a cargo vessel and immediately sank in the Shitalakshya River in Bangladesh.
The ferry sank on Sunday in the Shitalakkhya River in central Bangladesh at around 6 pm local time after leaving the industrial city of Narayanganj.
At first it was reported that five people died, but another 21 bodies were recovered on Monday afternoon, taking the number of total deaths to 26 from five, the representative of Bangladesh’s Fire Service and Civil Defense Headquarters said.
The boat was full of people rushing to leave the city following the announcement of a weeklong nationwide lockdown beginning today as an attempt to curb the recent spike in new COVID-19 cases.
Ferries are widely used for transportation in Bangladesh, a low-lying nation with hundreds of rivers. Ferry accidents are also common because of frequent overcrowding and poor maintenance and safety standards.