A ferry has yet again hit a pillar of the Padma Bridge injuring 11-12 people.
The roro ferry Birshreshtha Jahangir, on the way from Banglabazar Ghat in Madaripur to Shimulia Ghat in Munshiganj, hit pillar No 10 of the Padma Bridge at around 6:30pm on Monday.
The ferry is now at ferry wharf No 2 of Shimulia Ghat, said Shafiqul Islam, assistant general manager (AGM, Commerce) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) unit of Shimulia Ghat.
Munshiganj Assistant Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Russell Monir said: “After the collision, a cargo vehicle on the ferry rolled over two private cars and damaged them.
“I have heard that two or three people were injured in this incident. The collision has also caused cracks on the bottom of the ferry from where water is also coming through.”
Safayet Ahmed, manager (commerce) of BIWTC, said: “The ferry is now at wharf number two. We are busy with rescue work, more details will be provided later.”
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Padma Bridge Executive Engineer Dewan Md Abdul Quader said: “I have heard the news of the ferry hitting pillar No 10 of the bridge. Our officials have already reached the scene to observe the pillar.
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This time the amount of damage is less than the previous time when another ferry hit pillar No 17, added Md Abdul Quader.
In response to a question, he said: "We have not yet received any instructions to take legal or any other action in this matter."
The ferry driver told Dhaka Tribune that due to heavy currents the direction of the ferry was changed and ended up hitting the pillar.
Incidentally, several ferries have hit the pillars of the Padma Bridge on this waterway before.
On July 23, at around 9:30am, roro ferry Shahjalal collided with pillar No 17 of the Padma Bridge and on July 20, the roro ferry Shah Makhdum also collided with pillar No 16 of the Padma Bridge.
The BIWTC has set up a committee to investigate the incidents. A GDO was filed with Shibchar police station in Madaripur in this regard.
