Nine tourists rescued after engine boat sinks in Khulna river estuary

All nine passengers aboard a motorized wooden boat were rescued by river police after their vessel capsized at the confluence of the Shakbaria and Arpangashia rivers near Singhertek in Khulna’s Koyra Upazila on Friday afternoon.

The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. According to authorities, the Angtihara River Police outpost received an emergency notification via the national 999 helpline reporting that a tourist boat had submerged. A patrol team was immediately dispatched to the site, which sits between a local settlement and the edge of the Sundarbans.

Officer-in-Charge of the Angtihara River Police outpost, Faruk Hossain, confirmed that no casualties or disappearances were reported. Upon arrival, police personnel discovered three individuals clinging to the overturned hull of the boat, while the remaining six had managed to swim to the riverbank and were holding onto tree branches in the forest area.

The rescued individuals have been identified as the boatman Kismat Ali, 48, along with passengers Naim Hossain, 22, Rakibul Hasan, 18, Md. Ashik, 25, Md. Palash Hossain, 23, Md. Shahin, 25, Imamul Hossain, 25, Md. Galib, 25, and Md. Abdullah, 22. The boatman is from Napitkhali in the Shyamnagar Upazila of Satkhira, while the passengers hail from both Shyamnagar and the Kagojpukur area of Jessore’s Benapole municipality.

Unpaid Bills Leave Millions of Taka Worth of Medical Equipment Locked and Inactive at Kurigram General Hospital

Read Article

Preliminary questioning revealed that the group had departed from Napitkhali at approximately 2:30 p.m. to tour the Angtihara and Sundarbans areas. While returning at about 5:15 p.m., the boat lost control in the middle of the river near Singhertek and subsequently capsized.

Nasir Uddin, an official at the Kashiyabad Forest Station, noted that the site of the accident is known historically as the Rai River. While the area falls under the jurisdiction of the Andarmanik patrol outpost, it remains a frequent route for local watercraft.

Authorities clarified that while there is a current ban on entry into the deeper parts of the Sundarbans due to the wildlife breeding season, the local river routes remain open for travel. The vessel was operating within these permitted zones at the time of the accident.