Vessel capsize near Ctg port: 4 bodies recovered from Bay of Bengal

Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) on Friday recovered the bodies of four people who went missing after a lighterage vessel named MV Sultan Sanja sank near Chattogram Port on Wednesday.

Zonal Commander of BCG East Captain Kazi Shah Alam said the light vessel, named MV Sultan, capsized in the Bay of Bengal following a collision between two ships at the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port on Wednesday afternoon. 

The vessel had nine people on board, of which three swam to another ship and two people are still missing after the recovering of the four bodies, Lt  Commander M Ashfaq Bin Idris of Coast Guard Chittagong Zonal Headquarters (Eastern Zone) confirmed to The Business Standard.

The coast guard divers had been searching for the missing persons since the day but the rescue operation was hampered due to strong current, he said. 

"On information, BCG went to the spot and rescued three people alive. A total of six people went missing following the capsize. We're working round-the-clock to find the remaining two," said Alam.

Lieutenant Kazi Al Amin, media officer of the Coast Guard's eastern zone, told TBS, "The bodies of four sailors of the ship that sank in the outer anchorage were recovered on Wednesday afternoon. The Coast Guard recovered the bodies of three people from the at the site of the incident in Patenga and Bhatiari area early on Friday morning. Navy recovered another body. The recovered bodies have been handed over to the Naval Police. An operation is underway to rescue two more missing people."

Mahbub Rashid, Executive Director of Water Transport Cell, which operates lighter vessels, said the sunken vessel had 850 tonnes of stones.

Identities of the two victims are yet to be ascertained.