Stranded Padma River Launch Rescued With Eighty-Five Passengers Aboard

A passenger launch carrying 85 commuters ran aground on a hidden shoal in the middle of the Padma River after losing its bearings during a routine crossing. The vessel, MV Boali, was travelling from the Daulatdia launch ghat in the Goalanda upazila of Rajbari towards the Paturia ghat in Manikganj. The unexpected grounding left passengers stranded in complete darkness, sparking panic across the vessel before emergency services intervened.

Following an urgent distress call made by terrified passengers to the national emergency helpline, 999, joint rescue teams from both the Daulatdia and Paturia river police branches deployed to the scene. It took a coordinated rescue operation lasting nearly four hours to extract all 85 passengers safely and transfer them to their intended destination.

Midnight Distress Call Triggers Rapid Response

According to river police officials, MV Boali departed from the Daulatdia terminal at approximately 7:45 pm on Saturday, 27 June. As the vessel reached a mid-river area known locally as Kushahata, it deviated from the main navigational channel and struck an underwater silt bank.

Tofazzal Hossain, a passenger hailing from Kushtia who was travelling to Dhaka, described the harrowing moments following the grounding. He noted that the launch suddenly shuddered violently upon striking the shoal, causing widespread alarm among the commuters onboard. With darkness enveloping the river, two passengers, identified as Fazle Rabbi and Masum Rana, dialled 999 to request immediate government assistance.

Trinath Saha, the officer-in-charge of the Daulatdia river police outpost, confirmed that his team received the dispatch details shortly after 7:45 pm. Rescue teams utilised engine-driven trawlers and two specialised river police speedboats to reach the stranded vessel and secure the area. The authorities eventually mobilised a second, larger launch, MV Chishtia, to the shoal. Passengers were systematically transferred to the relief vessel, which docked safely at the Paturia launch terminal around 11:30 pm. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Navigational Infrastructure Under Scrutiny

Shimul Islam, the terminal supervisor for the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) at Daulatdia, verified the details of the incident. However, the precise cause of the grounding has exposed differing viewpoints between senior officials and local operators regarding river management.

Ashraf Uddin, the joint director of the marine conservation and operations department at BIWTA’s Aricha office, maintained that the incident was entirely due to pilot error. He asserted that there are currently no navigability issues or shallow water crises along the designated river route, stating that the launch master simply lost his direction and steered into shallow waters.

In contrast, local maritime sources highlighted a structural issue stemming from recent environmental changes. The Paturia launch terminal was heavily impacted by riverbank erosion, forcing authorities to relocate the docking pontoon approximately one kilometre upstream to Daskandi. This new route requires vessels to navigate closely around the shallow waters of the Kushahata shoal. Local operators argue that the newly altered channel lacks adequate marking buoys, reflective signs, and nighttime lighting indicators. Consequently, launch masters are forced to navigate these precarious segments under high-risk conditions, significantly increasing the probability of groundings during night journeys.