Nearly two dozen people are reported dead and dozens more are missing in Bangladesh after a passenger ship was attacked by up to two cargo ships.
According to local officials, the captain of a cargo boat suspected of colliding with the passenger boat was arrested.
A witness told local media that two cargo ships crashed into the ship, according to the South China Morning Post. About 50 people remain missing.
“I was grazing cattle on the edge. I heard a loud noise and saw the cargo ships hitting the passenger tugboat. I saw how the drag was sinking quickly, “Nurul Amin told the newspaper.
The crash took place in a large body of open water in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria, according to reports from Bangladesh officials and media.
Bangladesh is a lowland nation located in the heart of the Ganges river delta system, and crossed by about 230 more rivers. The country floods frequently during the monsoon season, and the battle with rising water levels has only gotten worse in recent years due to global warming.
As a result, Bangladesh is heavily dependent on water transport and fatal accidents are frequent due to unskilled labor and misapplication of safety regulations, the PA reports.
The crash took place about 51 kilometers east of the capital, Dhaka.