In Bangladesh's deadliest waterways accident in more than a year, a boat carrying Hindu pilgrims sank on Sunday, killing at least 25 people and leaving scores more missing, according to a local official.

Twelve women and 8 children were among the corpses that have so far been found, according to Jahurul Islam, district administration of northern Panchagarh, the accident's scene.

Boat Carrying Pilgrims to Temple Overturns in Bangladesh

Islam added that the ferry was mostly transporting worshippers to a Hindu shrine in honor of Mahalaya and stated that the search for the missing was still ongoing. Although passengers claimed there were more than 70 persons on the boat when it sank in the Karatoya river, Islam claimed to not be aware of the precise number of those still missing.

The district administrator claims that a committee has been formed to investigate into the situation. While some of the passengers were able to swim ashore or were saved, the police said that over 20 persons were still missing, as per New York Post. 

He added that the ferry was mostly transporting worshippers to a Hindu shrine in honor of Mahalaya and stated that the search for the missing was still ongoing. He claims that a committee has been formed to investigate into the situation, Reuters reported.

Around 1:30 p.m., the engine-driven boat capsized near Awalia ghat under the Maria union as it was traveling toward Bodeshari Hindu temple under the Borososhi union, according to Sujoy Kumar Roy, officer-in-charge of Boda Police Station.

The Daily Star newspaper, headquartered in Dhaka, stated that a witness claimed two cargo ships struck the boat, which rapidly sank. On the pond's edge, I was grazing some cattle. When the cargo ships hit the passenger trawler, "I heard a huge noise. I witnessed the trawler rapidly sinking," witness Nurul Amin told the newspaper.

Read Also: Hurricane Fiona in Canada: Videos Show Major Damage as Houses Get Washed Away to Ocean  

Boat Accidents in Bangladesh

This is not Bangladesh's first boat-related accident, after a cargo ship struck a boat carrying scores of people along a river outside the capital of Bangladesh in March 2022, rescuers found six bodies.

Fire department spokesperson Rozina Akhter stated that they were unable to tally the number of people on the ferry. According to local media, there were between 30 and 50 passengers aboard the ferry when it collided near Narayanganj, a town outside of Dhaka.

In a different occurrence in 2021, a passenger boat carrying more than 100 passengers capsized in Bangladesh after colliding, and authorities reported that 21 people were killed and about 50 went missing.

Every year, hundreds of people in Bangladesh, a low-lying country with extensive inland waterways and inadequate safety laws, pass away in boat accidents. Bangladesh is a delta country where people and goods are frequently transported by water, yet fatal accidents are frequently caused by inexperienced operators and lax enforcement of safety regulations, Independent reported.

Related Article: Imagery Reveals North Korea's Plan To Launch New Missile Submarine; Pyongyang Denies Supplying Weapons to Russia

@YouTube