Disaster turns spotlight on ferry safety in Bangladesh
DWAug 05, 2014
50 bodies have been recovered so far after an overcrowded ferry carrying Hindu pilgrims capsized in the Karotoa River in northern Bangladesh on Sunday. The victims include 25 women and 13 children.
Police are continuing to search for bodies, with survivors saying that more than 70 people had been on the boat. The accident is the worst waterways disaster to hit the country in more than a year.
The Bangladeshi government must better address these tragedies. At least 5,000 people - mostly the poor - have died in ferry accidents in Bangladesh in the last 13 years, 35% of which are attributed to overcrowding. The international community must bring pressure on this safety issue, as it has in the past with Bangladesh's garment factory workers.
These accidents are tragic, and they will require efforts beyond the Bangladeshi government alone. Addressing economic stress, bolstering rescue services and healthcare, and building capacity for health and safety in the private sector are crucial. Private ferry owners carry a lot of political weight in Bangladesh. This is a complex issue requiring public-private collaboration.