Ferry Disaster Crisis: Passenger Vessel Capsizes in Rough River Currents, Claiming Thirteen Lives

Dhaka, Bangladesh—Gale-force river currents flipped a crowded passenger ferry upside down within seconds Friday afternoon. The watercraft struggled against swirling eddies before a sudden surge swamped the lower decks. Passengers scrambled desperately toward the exits as muddy water poured into the cabins. Dozens of travelers were thrown directly into the churning main channel. Local fishermen rushed toward the wreck in wooden skiffs before official rescue teams arrived.

Inland water transport authorities confirmed thirteen fatalities recovered by evening, with several more passengers still unaccounted for. Navy dive teams deployed sonar equipment to locate the submerged hull resting on the riverbed twenty meters below the surface. Relatives gathered in large crowds along the muddy riverbank, calling out names and weeping openly. Emergency medical personnel established triage posts near the dock to treat survivors suffering from hypothermia and shock.

Investigators examining the wreckage pointed to severe overloading and disregard for storm warnings as primary factors. Transport ministry officials have repeatedly promised stricter enforcement of vessel weight limits following historical disasters on the river network. Port authorities suspended all watercraft departures across the regional river division pending weather clearance.

The current is simply too fierce for overloaded vessels to navigate safely during storm surges, said river police inspector Rafiqul Islam at the search command post. We warned operators to dock hours ago. Now families are paying the price for reckless scheduling.

Heavy salvage cranes arrived by barge at dusk to begin lifting the capsized hull out of the shipping channel. Search operations continue downstream as patrol boats sweep the riverbanks with high-intensity spotlights. Local government representatives announced immediate funeral assistance grants for the families of the deceased.

Dark river water swirls rapidly around the protruding steel bow as night falls over the delta.