The official death toll in the launch capsize near Munshiganj has now reached 55.
Enough is enough. The government and boat operators must change the shocking culture of neglect for safety which underlies launch accidents.
We have repeatedly called for passenger safety to be the top priority for riverboat operations. There have been over 550 passenger launch accidents in the last 38 years, killing 4,420 people.
Yet, despite hundreds of probe committees being formed, hardly anyone has been held accountable for wrongful deaths.
Every year needless deaths occur in launch disasters. The vast majority would be preventable if safety was properly prioritised. However, not only are outdated vessels and those which have suffered structural flaws in past accidents allowed to operate with impunity, but passenger and weight limits are routinely breached. Boat owners recklessly continue to employ incompetent and poorly trained staff.
It is shameful that authorities have failed to hold the system for protecting safety to account. The present government has had more than 5 years in power to address this issue. If it had made it a priority, then the litany of fatal accidents which saw the Patuakhali-bound MV Shathil 1 capsize just two weeks before Thursday’s tragedy at Munshiganj, would have been stopped.
Business as usual is not acceptable. The government must put resources into properly inspecting and monitoring vessels so safety rules can be properly implemented.
Human life is precious. Those who treat it as cheap should be punished.
Negligence and reckless disregard for safety must be prevented. Operators who fail to put safety first should be put out of business.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
