Launch gets stuck in Meghna sandbank

More than 400 passengers have been rescued from a launch that ran aground in a shoal in the Meghna River in Chandpur district on Wednesday.

The passengers of the Barishal-bound ‘Sundarban-11’ were actually rescued by another vessel ‘MV Surovi-7’, according to the officials.

Alam Sardar, master of the stranded ferry, said that ‘Sundarban-11’ carrying over 400 passengers experienced a technical glitch around midnight on Tuesday while heading towards Barishal.

“When it reached near Mohonpur in Chandpur, I steered it to a nearby shoal to avoid any untoward situation,” he said.

Faruk Hossain, a passenger on the ferry, said it experienced the technical glitch around 11pm and got stuck in the shoal around 12am, creating panic among the passengers.