A crane on the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority's (BIWTA) rescue vessel 'Nirbhik' collapsed and crashed onto two adjacent vessels in the Kirtankhola River in Barishal on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 10:00 am while the vessel was anchored at the ghat adjacent to Muktijoddha Park in the city.
Incident Details
According to BIWTA sources, the crane was being operated as part of a weekly drill and cleaning routine this morning. Within five seconds of commencing operations, a structural component of the crane gave way. The massive crane immediately lost its balance and toppled sideways onto the two neighboring vessels.The roofs and upper sections of the two boats were damaged in the incident. While no casualties were reported, the crane operator, Yunus Mia, lost consciousness due to shock.
Vessel Specifications
The two rescue vessels, 'Nirbhik' and 'Prottoy', were built at a cost of Tk 356 crore, each with a maximum lifting capacity of 250 tons. These vessels are deployed for emergency rescue operations in inland waterways.Following the incident, authorities have initiated steps to assess the condition of the damaged vessels and investigate the cause of the crane collapse.
