Bangladesh relatives distraught over ferry rescue delay
Rescuers working on a capsized Bangladeshi ferry in which dozens of people drowned were pelted with stones by relatives angry at delays. At least 56 people are now known to have died when the overcrowded ferry partially capsized on Friday. A salvage ship managed to right the ferry on Sunday, giving rescuers access to its lower deck where dozens of bodies were discovered. There have been complaints that workers took too long to get to the scene. More than 1,000 people were thought to be on board, many heading home for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha. Lower decks The vessel, MV Coco-4, started to sink as it tried to anchor late on Friday, at a terminal in the south of the country. Local residents joined divers to help search for survivors, but as the ferry was righted on Sunday, 21 bodies were discovered inside the cabins, a local police chief told AFP news agency. There are believed to be dozens more unaccounted for, local media reported. The ferry - like many others in Bangladesh - did not have a detailed passenger list so it is impossible to know exactly who is missing. On Sunday some people who had been waiting for hours for news briefly threw stones at rescuers. No one was injured. "The ferry sank just before midnight Friday, but rescuers did not arrive until the morning," said survivor Sohel Hossain, according to Reuters news agency. Local police chief Zakir Hossain told AFP: "They pelted rocks and brick pieces at the divers and rescue workers. "They are unhappy that the divers and the rescue vessel could not complete work quickly. Some of them have yet to find their missing relatives." Stampede theory It was unclear exactly how the vessel came to capsize, but an investigation had been launched, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan told AFP. "Officials had locked the ferry's exit gate as it approached the shore to find out whether anyone was travelling without a ticket," he said. "This triggered a stampede, causing the boat to tip." The MV Coco-4 is one of Bangladesh's largest inland vessels. Ferry accidents occur frequently in Bangladesh, and are typically blamed on unsafe, ageing boats and overcrowding. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8385544.stm |
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