Salt-laden boat sinks after cargo ship collision in Meghna river

A boat loaded with 300 maunds of salt sank in the Meghna River in Bhola after being hit by a cargo vessel, though no casualties were reported.

The incident occurred at around 2:30am on Thursday near Dhonia Union of Bhola Sadar upazila, according to local sources.

Boatmen and workers said that due to dense fog in the middle of the river, several cargo vessels and boats had anchored in the area. At that time, an unidentified cargo ship struck the salt-laden boat, MV Dilwara-3, and fled the scene.

Following the collision, water began entering the vessel, causing nearly 95 percent of the boat to submerge. The boatman and workers managed to escape by boarding nearby vessels and safely reached the shore.

Boatman Md Billah Hossain said the boat had departed from Kutubdia carrying salt and was heading toward Khulna via the Chattogram Channel when it was hit by the cargo vessel. He estimated the financial loss at around Tk 50 lakh.

Ilisha Naval Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Syed Ashiqur Rahman confirmed the incident and said that police rushed to the spot after receiving the report and legal proceedings are underway.