One woman has died and four members of the same family remain missing after a trawler carrying 14 people sank during a storm in the Meghna River in Sonamuhyi area of Sonargaon, Narayanganj, on Thursday afternoon.
The body of Raesha Begum, 55, was recovered from the river in the evening. Her husband, Zakir Hossain, 54, and their three children—Sajib Hossain, 24, Samia Akter, 17, and five-year-old Samin Hossain—are still unaccounted for.
Raesha’s home is in Kaillapur village of Bancharampur upazila in Brahmanbaria. The family had been travelling by trawler to attend a wedding ceremony in Hariya Baidyerpara village under Baidyerbazar union in Sonargaon.
According to police and local residents, Zakir Hossain, along with his wife and three children, had set out from Srimuddi village in Homna upazila of Cumilla with 14 relatives. They were travelling to the wedding ceremony of Sajia Akter, daughter of Shahparan of Hariya Baidyerpara.
The family was also carrying wedding supplies and other goods. Two cows and a goat were reportedly on the trawler as part of the arrangements for the ceremony.
The journey took a tragic turn when the trawler reached an area near Aman Cement Company in Sonamuhyi. A sudden storm struck the river, and the vessel eventually capsized and sank.
A trawler belonging to Aman Cement Company moved quickly to assist the passengers after the accident. Its crew managed to rescue nine people alive. However, Zakir and the other four members of his family could not be located.
A search operation was subsequently launched by local residents and members of the naval police. Raesha’s body was later recovered from the Meghna, while the search for the remaining four family members continued.
The incident has left relatives waiting anxiously along the riverbank. Family members have gathered near the site as rescue teams continue their efforts to locate those still missing.
Zahid Chowdhury, station officer of Sonargaon Fire Service, said a team of divers had been sent to the Meghna after receiving information about the accident. The rescuers began searching the accident site and other parts of the river.
However, the operation was hampered by falling darkness. The divers were unable to continue underwater searches after evening set in. Authorities said the search would resume in the morning if the missing people were not found during the night.
Shah Kamal, inspector and officer-in-charge of the Baidyerbazar Naval Police Outpost, said one body had been recovered and four people remained missing.
He said members of the fire service, naval police and Sonargaon police were involved in the search. The family had been travelling with cattle, a goat and wedding supplies when the trawler was caught in the sudden storm and sank.
Sonargaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Barik said Raesha Begum’s body had been kept at Sonargaon Upazila Health Complex. Law enforcement personnel were continuing efforts to locate the four missing members of her family.
The search is being conducted in the Meghna, with rescuers focusing on the area where the trawler sank and surrounding stretches of the river. The difficult conditions after nightfall have limited underwater operations, making the return of daylight important for the continuation of the search.
The accident has turned what was supposed to be a family journey to a wedding into a desperate search for four missing relatives, while the recovery of Raesha’s body has deepened the grief of those waiting along the riverbank.
