Death Toll Rises to Six in Tragic Boat Capsize Incident in Sonai, Flood Leaves No Place for Janaza

On Monday, June 3, a boat carrying ten passengers capsized in the floodwaters of Sonai East while en route to Sonai Bazar from Madhurbandi village, resulting in the death of a teenager and leaving five others missing. The accident occurred around 12:45 PM as heavy rain and strong winds hit the area. Four passengers clung to an electricity pole until help arrived, while five others, including 13-year-old Manowar Ahmed, were swept away. Manowar’s body was later recovered. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) initiated intensive search and rescue operations to locate the four missing individuals. Today the dead bodies of the missing person were found.

In the entire Sonai East region is in mourning following a tragic boat sinking incident that claimed six lives. On Tuesday morning, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) recovered the bodies of four missing persons, adding to the two bodies recovered by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Monday. The victims of this heart-wrenching incident are identified as Arif Ahmed (25), Taibur Rahman (32), Abul Hasan Ahmed (35), Amir Uddin Ahmed (54), Jamal Uddin Ahmed (55), and Manowar Hossain Ahmed (13).

On Tuesday evening, a collective funeral prayer was held for five of the deceased at Amjurghat Tri-Junction, attended by nearly 5,000 people. After the prayers, the five bodies were taken three kilometres away to be buried at North Mohanpur. One body was buried at a relative’s house in Sadhinbazar.

In this time of grief, the local community has stood by the bereaved families, transcending all differences. After the recovery of the bodies and the completion of post-mortem procedures, on Tuesday afternoon, the six bodies were transported back to their homes. The bodies were brought back to Amjurghat by boat in the evening and buried at Rangirghat after the funeral prayers at night.

Despite the accident happening when a boat capsized, the bereaved families had no option but to take the boat roat to carry the dead bodies to their homes. This highlights the seriousness of the incident and that the only route to their village gets inundated during the heavy rainfall. Having no place to hold the “janaza” due to the inundation by the flood waters, the bodies had to be taken to a different village. Representatives of the Sonai MLA reached the spot and appreciated the Sonai MLA for reasons unknown. At a time when six people had died, the MLA despite being elected three years back couldn’t complete the work of a road, the lifeline for many that has disconnected them from the rest of the world.