Bodies of 2 women recovered 13 hours after autorickshaw plunges off ferry into Meghna

Two women were killed when a CNG-run autorickshaw slipped off a ferry and plunged into the Meghna River in Narayanganj's Araihazar upazila early Saturday.

The bodies of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were found nearly 13 hours after the incident, confirmed Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Araihazar Police Station.

The deceased were identified as Khaleda Begum, 55, and Farzana Akhter, 22, residents of Rasullabad village in Nabinagar, Brahmanbaria.

Khaleda's son, Kamal Hossain, 19, was rescued soon after the accident and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.

Kamal's cousin, Mosleh Uddin, said, "My uncle and aunt live in Jatrabari, Dhaka. For the Eid holidays, my aunt was returning home with her two sons and daughter-in-law in the autorickshaw. As they boarded the ferry, a sudden jolt caused the autorickshaw to topple into the Meghna River. Kamal managed to escape, but my aunt and cousin-in-law couldn't."

He added that the autorickshaw driver, Kuddus, and Farzana's husband, Sagar, were standing beside the vehicle at the time. 

"Inside the autorickshaw were Kamal, Khaleda and Farzana. With no railing at the ferry's rear, the vehicle lost balance during the jolt and fell into the river."

Araihazar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sajjat Hossain said, "We arrived at the scene early in the morning after hearing of the incident. It's truly a heart-wrenching tragedy. 

"We are investigating whether the ferry's safety measures were adequate. Necessary legal steps will be taken."