Death toll climbs to 50

The death toll from the boat capsized in the Karatoa River rose to 50 as more bodies were retrieved from the river in Boda upazila of Panchagarh Monday.

A five-member probe body, headed by Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Dipankar Roy, has been formed to investigate the capsize, said Md Zahurul Islam, deputy commissioner of Panchagarh.

Divers from three firefighting units recovered the 26 bodies from different spots of the river till Monday evening, said Dipankar Roy. The total number of bodies recovered till now is 50, he added.

Of the 50 victims, there were 25 women, 12 men, and 13 children. 43 bodies have been handed over to their families, the ADM said.

SM Sirajul Huda, superintendent of Panchagarh Police said that they received a list of 40 missing people from their relatives.

Among the dead was one Kabita Rani, 50. The identities of nine others could not be confirmed immediately.

On Sunday, the overloaded trawler carrying 60-70 passengers, mostly Hindu devotees, sank in the middle of the river while heading towards Badheshwari Temple on the occasion of Mahalaya around 2:30pm.

25 bodies were recovered from the river that day, while many others managed to swim ashore. The operation to trace the missing ones is underway.