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Crane collapses from BIWTA salvage vessel in Kirtonkhola River
Published : Wednesday, 11 November, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Observer Online Report
A crane boom of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority's (BIWTA) salvage vessel Nirvik collapsed while the vessel was anchored in the Kirtonkhola River in Barishal on Wednesday morning.
The accident occurred around 10AM on Wednesday (November 11) at the BIWTA jetty near Muktijoddha Park in Barishal city. The front section of the vessel's crane suddenly broke off while maintenance work was underway, reportedly due to a mechanical or technical fault.
According to sources concerned, the vessel's weekly drill and cleaning activities were being carried out on Wednesday morning. Work on the crane began around 9:30AM, but shortly afterwards, a section of its boom collapsed unexpectedly. Senior BIWTA officials rushed to the spot following the incident.
Nirvik's master, Md Alamgir Hossain, said the scheduled weekly work was underway as usual when the crane suddenly developed a technical fault while being lowered gradually. He said they were also unaware of the exact cause of the malfunction.
He added that one of the vessel's staff members lost consciousness out of panic during the incident but had since recovered.
Nirvik's commander Abdullah Al Baki said the authorities had already taken steps to recover the collapsed crane. Another BIWTA salvage vessel, Pratyay, has departed from Narayanganj for Barishal to assist in the recovery operation.
Barishal Fire Service Assistant Director Selim Mia said firefighters visited the site after receiving information about the accident. No casualties were reported. However, the collapsed crane caused some damage to a barge (pontoon) at the BIWTA dredger base. Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage, he added.
Barishal Deputy Commissioner Md Mamun Khandaker, who also visited the site, said the district administration and BIWTA would form separate investigation committees to examine the incident. The details would be known after the submission of their reports.
The salvage vessel Nirvik was relocated to the BIWTA jetty on the bank of the Kirtonkhola River in Barishal in 2013. The vessel has a lifting capacity of 250 tonnes and is generally deployed only during major accidents.
- MaT
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, 01550707296
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], Online-email: [email protected]
