DHAKA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- At least five people, including three of a family, were killed Thursday when a mooring line snapped and hit some passengers at a ferry terminal in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka.
Zainul Abedin, a senior official of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), told reporters that the accident occurred around 3:00 p.m. local time at Dhaka's Sadarghat ferry terminal while two launches were trying to dock between two other launches at one of the pontoons.
The docking attempt in a narrow space caused the mooring line of a launch to snap, he said, adding the mooring line broke and hit five people standing at the entrance of another launch.
Abedin said BIWTA has formed a three-member committee to probe the incident. The committee was asked to submit its report within five days.
Bangladeshi State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said the authorities would go tough against those responsible for the Sadarghat incident after Bangladeshi river police detained five staffers from both launches for interrogation. ■