Dhaka: Bangladesh government will charge
former Premier Khaleda Zia's sons, owners of the triple decker
ferry that sunk on Friday killing at least 84 people, for the
disaster.
Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said that the opposition
leader's elder son Tarique Rahman, younger son Arafat Rahman
Coco and their controversial partner Giasuddin Al Mamun would
be charged for the deaths in the tragedy in southwestern
coastal district of Bhola.
He said a total of 16 men, including Mamun who is a
director at the Rahman Shippers, had already been sued in the
Marine Court while the two brothers would also be charged in
the case as the managing director and director of the company.
Meanwhile, rescuers today retrieved seven more bodies
from the waters, taking the toll to 84.
Survivors said the ferry hit a river shoal as it suddenly
tried to back off to prevent passengers without tickets from
disembarking.
As the passengers rushed to the other side of the ferry
to jump to the shore, the vessel tilted and partly sank in
shallow waters trapping the victims inside.
"Most of the bodies were found trapped inside closed
cabins of the ferry as they could not even jump to the
waters," a local journalist who witnessed the rescue
operations said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 02, 2009, 21:11