The body of a missing Rohingya woman has been recovered a day after a trawler capsized in the Meghna River near Hatia, an island Upazila in Noakhali. This brings the death toll to two, while a policeman and a child remain missing.
The woman’s body was found floating in the Meghna River near Bibir Hat in Lakshmipur’s Ramgati on Sunday, according to Kutub Uddin, chief of Bhasan Char Police Station.
The victim was identified as Hasina Khatun, 25. She had been working as a UNHCR volunteer at the Rohingya camp in Bhasan Char. She was on the trawler with her husband, Md Tarek, and their 4-year-old son Md Tamim when disaster struck.
Tarek was rescued and is currently receiving treatment at Noakhali General Hospital, but their son Tamim is still missing.
The other missing person is constable Md Saiful Islam, who was stationed at the district police lines.
Shafiqul Islam, chief of the Borokheri River Police Outpost in Ramgati, said locals spotted the woman’s body floating near Bibir Hat and alerted police. Her body was recovered and brought to the outpost. It will be sent to the district hospital morgue for an autopsy.
The trawler had tipped over on Saturday afternoon amid rough weather and strong waves on the Meghna River near Hatia.
The vessel was carrying 39 people, including three policemen, four Ansar members, a Rohingya patient, and NGO officials, according to Noakhali’s Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Ibrahim. It had departed from Bhasan Char around noon.
Around 3pm, the vessel capsized near Dubarchar in Karim Bazar Ghat after its bottom was breached. Fishermen from nearby trawlers rescued several passengers, and recovered a body.
Md Zobair Hossain, head of administration and recruitment at Noakhali Youth Red Crescent, said the body belonged to a man named Gias Uddin, aged around 45 years. He was reportedly an employee of the postal department.
A rescue operation led by Fire Service, police, and Youth Red Crescent continued until 10pm, rescuing 35 people, including two police officers. A critically injured Rohingya woman was admitted to Subarnachar Upazila Health Complex.
Eight others were admitted to the 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital.
Travel between Hatia and the mainland usually takes about an hour and 15 minutes by river. Due to rough conditions caused by a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal, boat services to Hatia had been suspended for four consecutive days, cutting off the island from the rest of the country.
Services resumed on Saturday, but the trawler accident occurred later that afternoon.
