The death toll in one of the worst incidents of its kind in the Karatoya river near Auliya Ghat under Boda upazila in the Panchgarh district rose to 65 with the recovery of 15 more bodies on Tuesday, reports the official news agency BSS. Earlier, 24 bodies were recovered on Sunday when the accident took place and 26 on Monday. 14 people still remain missing on the third day of the boat capsizing incident.
The boat was carrying devotees to take part in the Mahalaya festival at the Badheswari temple in Panchagarh when it lost balance mid-stream and capsized.
The district administration has given Taka 20,000 each to the family of the deceased and Taka 10,000 each to the injured person. It has formed a five-member committee to investigate the incident and submit its report within three working days.
Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, State Minister for Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan and the local Members of Parliament visited the site of the accident on Monday.
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have expressed shock at the incident and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
