An elderly man waits on the riverbank for his missing relative on Saturday. Inset, rescuers received a signal from a metallic object resembling the sunken launch. The image of signal has been generated from eco sound device. sun photo Salvage workers on Saturday detected a metallic object similar to sunken vessel Pinak-6 in size in the river Padma near Mawa launch ghat in Munshiganj. But the rescuers are not sure yet that this object was the sunken vessel. The result came after six days into the capsize of the vessel with over 200 passengers. The side-scan SONAR device on the survey ship ‘Kandari-2’ detected the object underwater one kilometre downstream from where the vessel sank. Manjurul Karim Chowdhury, captain of the survey vessel Kandari-2, said, “We have identified a metallic object in our device. It was not sure whether this object was the sunken vessel but its width and length matches that of the launch.” The detected object is about 16-17 metres and the sunken launch was 16.5 metres long, he added. He also said, “Right now, we are analysing it and sending divers to identify the object.” He said the object was moving due to the strong current. Side-scan SONAR device on Saturday captured a sharper image, he added. Shamsuddoha Khandaker, chairman of BIWTA, said the authorities were making every effort to find the missing vessel. “There is a rigorous whirlpool near the spot and the depth of the water is about 80 to 90 feet,” he said. Earlier, rescuers have selected several possible locations within 20 kilometres downstream in the Padma from where Pinak-6 capsized. Survey vessels Jarip-10 and Kandari-2 resumed search operation on Saturday morning after rain disrupted their work on Friday night. According to Naval Headquarters, four more vessels—Teesta, Sandhan, IT 97 and Ba-Dwip—are also conducting search operation using side-scan sonar technology. Rescue vessels Nirvik and Rustam were seen floating idly in the river Padma as the location of Pinak-6 was not found. 3 MORE BODIES RECOVERED On the sixth day of the tragedy, body of a five-year-old child victim was recovered in Lalmohan Upazila of Bhola while two bodies were found in Hatia upazila of Noakhali, raising the death toll to 43. Total 122 passengers of the sunken launch Pinak-6 are still missing, according to officials concerned. FOUR LAUNCHES FINED Meanwhile, a mobile court of the Department of Shipping (DOS) on Saturday fined four launches at Kawrakandi launch terminal while registrations of two other launches have been temporarily cancelled for two months. Executive Magistrate Saiful Hasan of DOS led the mobile court that conducted the raid at Kawrakandi launch terminal. Among them, MV Oishee Khan is owned by the shipping minister’s family firm ‘Sharbik Enterprise’. It was fined Tk 10,000 and its registration had been withheld for two months along with another vessel ML Princess. The mobile court also fined ML Narisha Tk 10,000 and MV Tapan Express Tk 5,000. The raid found two other faulty launches - MV Sajal-1 and MV Sajal-2 – but the crew members escaped before the fines could be extracted. VESSEL OPERATION SUSPENDED The plying of all kinds of launch and speedboats in Mawa of Munshiganj and Kawrakandi of Shariatpur routes were suspended on Saturday due to inclement weather. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) took the decision at 12:00 noon due to strong currents in the river. Jahangir Hossain, Mawa River Traffic Inspector said, “BIWTA suspended plying of all kinds of launch and speedboats in the Padma due to gigantic waves and strong currents in the river.” Besides, operation of three ferries remained suspended on the river route due to the same reason, said BIWTA official AKM Ashikuzzaman Chowdhury, adding that the three ferries will resume operation with change in weather condition. He, however, said operation of nine other ferries, including the Ro Ro ones, continued.
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