A devastating tragedy has unfolded on the Meghna River in Bangladesh, where three young siblings lost their lives after a wooden trawler carrying wedding guests and livestock capsized in sudden inclement weather. Their father remains missing as rescue operations continue.
The incident occurred near the Sonamoyi area of Sonargaon, close to the Aman Cement Factory in Narayanganj district. The family, alongside several relatives, had set sail from Shrimaddi village in the Homna sub-district of Comilla. They were travelling across the Meghna to attend a relative’s wedding in the Baidyerbazar area of Sonargaon, carrying celebratory supplies including cattle and goats for the feast.
Witness accounts and official reports indicate that the vessel was carrying between 13 and 14 passengers when sudden, turbulent winds swept across the water. The storm generated intense waves that quickly overwhelmed the small craft. As river water rushed over the gunwales, the trawler lost stability and sank. Nearby boaters rushed to assist, enabling several passengers to swim to safety, whilst others were pulled from the water by local bystanders.
In the immediate aftermath of the vessel sinking, rescuers recovered the body of an adult female, identified in initial reports as Rayesa Begum. However, four members of a single family—50-year-old Helal Uddin and three of his children—were swept away by the river’s swift currents.
Following an exhaustive two-day search conducted under challenging conditions, divers from the Fire Service and Civil Defence, accompanied by naval police, recovered the bodies of the three missing siblings near the Al Mustafa Factory in Baidyerbazar. The deceased have been identified as 24-year-old Sajib, his 17-year-old sister Samia Akter, and their five-year-old brother Samin. Samia’s body was spotted floating on the water early in the morning, leading search teams directly to the remains of her two brothers shortly afterwards.
Abdullah Al Arefin, Deputy Director of the Narayanganj Fire Service, confirmed that whilst the three siblings have been retrieved and identified by grieving relatives, the search for their missing father, Helal Uddin, remains active along the river corridor.
The recovered bodies were transported by ambulance back to their ancestral home in Shrimaddi, where a profound sense of shock and grief has enveloped the community. Local authorities note that passenger trawlers in Bangladesh frequently face severe risks during seasonal weather shifts, as sudden squalls, strong river currents, and a lack of safety gear often turn festive journeys into fatal disasters. Rescue teams continue to patrol the Meghna River in hopes of locating the final missing passenger.
