The Barishal ferry terminal has been brimmed with Eid rush as thousands of people have begun travelling to their hometowns to celebrate the festival.
Some 23 ferries have been anchored at the Barishal terminal since Friday midnight as authorities have started special services for the Eid holidays.
On Thursday, each of these ferries carried 4,000 passengers from Dhaka to Barishal, according to the terminal authorities.
According to the authorities, Rajarhat B was the first vessel to reach Barishal from the capital's Sadarghat around 1:00am, followed by Royal Cruise, Pubali 7, Farhan 7, Manami, Red Sun, Parbat 10, Prince Awlad 10, Kuakata 2, Sundarban 11 and Surovi 8.
Mostafizur Rahman, joint director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transportation Authority (BIWTA), said, “We did not receive any complaint from the passengers on the first day as their ferry journey was smooth."
"However, we are checking and continuously warning ferries of carrying passengers beyond their capacity," he said.
Subah Jahan, a passenger, said, "I didn’t face much trouble while travelling."
However, Afsana Rumpa, another commuter, said, "Though I faced some issues during the journey, it didn’t matter as I have reached my home safely.”
Selim Mohammad Sheikh, deputy commissioner of Barishal Metropolitan Police, said some 40 members of the traffic department have been deployed for ensuring safe return of the passengers."
