Online Desk: Four bodies have been recovered from the Buriganga River after a waterbus carrying around 70 to 80 passengers sank in the river after being hit by a sand-laden bulkhead in Telghat area under Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka.

The deceased are a woman, two men, and a minor boy. Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. The bodies were kept at Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital morgue for autopsy, said the hospital’s director Gen. Dr. Quazi Md Rashid-Un-Nabi. The incident took place around 8:15pm on Sunday.

Being informed, three firefighting units rushed to the spot to carry out rescue operations. Moreover, divers from the Coast Guard joined the fire service workers to accelerate the rescue operation. As the waterbus capsized close to the river bank, most passengers managed to swim ashore.

Earlier at about 8.15pm, the waterbus with around 70 to 80 passengers on board collided with a sand-laden bulkhead collided in Buriganga in Telghat area. The waterbus capsized near the riverbank for which it can be assumed that most of the people swam ashore, according to Fire Service.

According to sources, people were rescued alive from the river and admitted to the hospital, with three of them undergoing treatment in unconscious condition while the rest were released after receiving treatment. Dakshin Keraniganj Police Station’s OC Mohammad Shah Zaman said they believe most passengers managed to swim ashore.