News circulating all over mass media of the country about a ferry colliding with a span of Padma Bridge on Tuesday morning was ’nothing but a rumour’, said an official of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation.
On Tuesday, a ferry named 'Birshreshtha Jahangir' was claimed to have hit the span between pillars 2 and 3 of Padma bridge in the Louhajang area of Munshiganj around 7:00am.
The collision was said to have left the ferry's mast broken.
However, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Assistant General Manager Ahmed Ali denied the news of any collision.
"The information of a ferry hitting a span of Padma Bridge on Tuesday is fake," he told The Business Post, "'Birshreshtha Jahangir' lowered its mast while passing under the bridge. There was no collision."
Earlier, on August 9, 10-12 passengers were hurt and two vehicles damaged when the same ferry hit Padma Bridge's 10th pillar.
Earlier, a ferry named 'Kakoli' hit the same pillar due to strong currents on its way to Shimulia Ghat from Banglabazar Ghat on August 13.
On July 23, a passenger ferry named 'Shahjalal' hit the 17th pillar of the bridge after the driver lost control over the steering.
The collisions resulted in a government decision on August 10 of banning the movement of ferries with heavy vehicles under the Padma Bridge until the strong current of the river is brought under control.
