Five Bodies Found on Ship in Chandpur, Two More Die at Hospital

Local Correspondent

Authorities recovered five bodies from a cargo ship on the Meghna River in Chandpur’s Haimchar area, with two additional individuals succumbing to injuries later at the hospital.

Lieutenant Commander Takiul Ahsan, station commander of the Bangladesh Coast Guard’s Chandpur Station, reported that the bodies were discovered aboard the vessel *MV Al-Bakhera* near Ishanbala in Haimchar upazila on Monday, December 23. Three critically injured individuals were rushed to Chandpur Sadar Hospital, where two of them later died.

The coast guard responded to an emergency call made to the national helpline 999. Upon reaching the vessel, they found eight individuals lying in separate cabins, covered with blankets and sheets. Takiul Ahsan stated that the victims appeared to be asleep, but closer inspection revealed severe head injuries.

Preliminary evidence led authorities to suspect that a gang of robbers may have carried out the attack. The ship, which was carrying fertilizer, was en route from Chattogram to Baghabari in Sirajganj when the incident occurred.

Chandpur’s Superintendent of Police for the River Police, Syed Mushfiqur Rahman, confirmed that the victims were assaulted with blunt weapons. He suggested that the attack could have been driven by animosity.

The cargo vessel, anchored in the Meghna River, belonged to Messrs. HP Enterprise. Officials identified one of the injured survivors as Jewel, 28, while the identities of the deceased are yet to be confirmed.

The incident brings the death toll to seven, with authorities continuing their investigation into the motive and perpetrators behind the killings.