21 dead in boat-trawler collision in Bangladesh

One of the rescued passengers, said the boat was coming from Champaknagar in Bijoynagar upazila, headed towards Ananda Bazar Ghat in Brahmanbaria town.

At least 21 people have died after a passenger boat collided with a sand-laden trawler at Laiska Canal in Sadar Upazila, Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh on Friday evening.The trawler coming from the opposite direction collided head-on with the boat, completely overturning it at 5:45 pm.Meanwhile, 15 more people were rescued and sent to the Upazila health complex and 50 others managed to swim back to shore, according to Brahmanbaria Sadar Model police station Officer in-Charge (OC) Md Emranul Islam.Rafiq Mia, one of the rescued passengers, said the boat was coming from Champaknagar in Bijoynagar upazila, headed towards Ananda Bazar Ghat in Brahmanbaria town. Police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot upon receiving information and started the rescue operation. A team of divers from Kishoreganj has been deployed.ALSO READ: 6 dead, 2 missing as two boats capsize in Odisha’s Malkangiri