Launch capsize taking a heavy toll

WE are distressed at the untimely deaths of at least 70 people in a launch capsize in the Padma river in Manikganj on Sunday after it was hit by a cargo vessel. With 36 people still missing, it is feared that the death toll would only go up as the rescue efforts continue. 

No words of consolation and even monetary compensation can make up for the wanton loss of lives and the agony of family and friends who have lost their loved ones. What makes these deaths even more unacceptable is that such launch accidents have now become a norm, rather than an exception, in the country. Hardly six months ago, the double-decker launch, Pinak-6, also sank in the same river, leaving at least a hundred people dead.

Reports state that the launch was overloaded and that there was insufficient safety equipment on board, which can only have augmented the death toll. Concerned authorities must be held accountable for this lack of oversight. 

We appreciate that two committees have been formed by the shipping minister to probe the incident. In the past, however, we have noticed that most of the reports weren't made public, and no lasting reforms were made in the sector to address the underlying structural problems. 

In order to prevent such future accidents, we must not only take the people responsible for the accidents to task, but also undertake corrective measures at multiple levels, guarantee the most efficient rescue operations and ensure that faulty vessels and reckless sarengs are not allowed on the waters.