Criminal charges have been filed against eight individuals in connection with a recent passenger ferry collision that left at least 32 people dead in the Buriganga River in Bangladesh.
The owner and the captain of the ferry Mayur-2 have been charged with homicide while six other employees of the same owner have been charged with negligence resulting in death after the said vessel had struck the smaller ferry Morning Bird near the country's capital of Dhaka on the morning (local time) of June 29.
A police official said the captain is already in their custody while the seven other suspects remain at large.
Morning Bird capsized and sank almost immediately following the collision with Mayur-2.
Of the more than 50 people who were on board the smaller vessel, 29 adults and three children are confirmed dead while an undetermined number are still unaccounted for.
The few survivors of the incident include one adult male who had gone down with the ferry as it sank and was finally rescued after being trapped in an air pocket in the wreckage for 13 hours.
The operation to locate the missing passengers and crew from Morning Bird was ordered suspended at 14:30 on June 30. However, fire and rescue personnel continue to remain in the area in case any more bodies are spotted on the surface of the river.
