July 17, 2023
DHAKA – Coming from a poor family, Samiya had to do three tuitions to pay for her schooling. She recently completed her SCC exams and went to Old Dhaka’s Banglabazar yesterday to buy three second-hand college textbooks.
While returning home to Keraniganj, she opted for a waterbus in place of a boat, for the same fare of Tk 10. She thought a waterbus would be a safer option as she didn’t know how to swim.
However, as fate would have it, the waterbus capsized after a sand-laden bulk carrier collided with it in the Buriganga near Telghat area of Keraniganj last night.
At least three bodies were recovered and eight people rescued while many swam ashore, as the boat sank near the bank.
Samiya Akhter, 17, was one of the survivors of the waterbus capsize who shared her experience with The Daily Star.
“I never thought I would make it alive … Like other days, I was sitting in the waterbus. After a while I saw another vessel coming towards us. I did not know what was happening… suddenly it hit us.”
“I found myself surrounded by water, I did not know what to do… suddenly I felt a hand pull my leg up when I was drowning. Then I found myself floating. I stayed afloat by holding onto a seat or something until firemen came and rescued me.”