Missing Cattle Trader Body Recovered From Padma River

The River Police have officially recovered the floating body of Aiyub Ali, a 45-year-old cattle merchant who went missing after a commercial trawler capsized in the Padma River two days ago. The body was retrieved on the afternoon of Wednesday, 27 May 2026, from the Kunderchar locality within the Zanjira Upazila of the Shariatpur District.

The recovery follows an maritime accident on Monday afternoon, 25 May 2026, when a transport vessel laden with 30 cows sank near Pillar 15 of the Padma Bridge after encountering a severe storm. Following an extensive search, family members positively identified the remains of Aiyub Ali on Wednesday evening.

Background of the Maritime Accident

The deceased, Aiyub Ali, was the son of Abdul Mistri, residing in the Char Haziganj area of Charbhadrasan Upazila under the Faridpur District. A cattle trader by profession, Ali systematically sourced livestock from various rural markets to supply seasonal sacrificial animal markets in Dhaka.

According to local accounts and eyewitness testimonies, the transport trawler departed from Charbhadrasan on Monday with 30 head of cattle and 20 individual passengers, including merchants and crew, bound for the capital. As the vessel neared the structural footprint of the Padma Bridge, it encountered sudden, violent weather conditions. The turbulent waves caused the fully loaded trawler to founder near the 15th pillar. While 19 passengers managed to swim to safety or were rescued by nearby vessels, Ali was pulled under by the powerful river currents.

Recovery Operations and Emergency Verification

On Wednesday afternoon, local residents in Zanjira’s Kunderchar area spotted a human body floating in the river channel. The community immediately notified authorities via the national emergency service hotline, 999. Following the alert, a deployment team from the Sureswar River Police Outpost in Naria proceeded to the specified coordinates and extracted the body from the water.

Upon receiving news of the recovery operation, Ali’s relatives travelled to Zanjira. At approximately 8:00 pm on Wednesday, the victim’s younger brother, Sohel Mia, formally verified the identity of the deceased.

Legal Formality and Formal Statements

Sohel Mia stated to the press that his brother had been transporting the livestock to metropolitan markets in Dhaka as part of his regular business operations. Given the patently accidental nature of the capsizing, the family has explicitly voiced their intention not to file any criminal or civil lawsuits. The relatives have submitted a formal request to the authorities to waive the standard post-mortem examination, seeking an immediate release of the remains for traditional burial rituals.

Inspector Abdul Jalil, the officer-in-charge of the Sureswar River Police Outpost, confirmed the sequence of events. He noted that preliminary investigations firmly attribute the death to drowning resulting from the trawler accident.

Inspector Abdul Jalil: “Upon receiving reports of a floating body in the Padma River, our personnel moved swiftly to secure and recover the individual. Initial findings corroborate that the deceased succumbed during the recent vessel capsize. The family has chosen not to lodge any written complaints or punitive demands, electing instead to submit a formal petition requesting the release of the body without a post-mortem. We have briefed our senior command on this administrative matter, and the body will be handed over to the family as soon as the standard legal clearances are finalised.”