Bangladesh ferry owner arrested

The elite security force in Bangladesh, the Rapid Action Battalion, announced they had arrested the ferry owner Abu Bakar Siddique on Wednesday. The 60-year-old was caught in the port city of Chittagong, having been on the run since the disaster.

"Acting on a tip-off, he was arrested during a raid on a house," Mufti Mahmud Khan, the battalion's legal and media director, told the Reuters news agency.

The owner, along with five others including the ferry's captain, faces charges including culpable homicide, overcrowding and unauthorized operation.

Authorities allege the ferry was carrying more than 200 passengers, well beyond its allowed capacity of 85. The accused are also charged with operating the ferry with an expired license and disregarding instructions not to sail in bad weather.

The ferry capsized on August 4 in the rain-swollen Padma river in Munshiganj district about 30km (18 miles) south of Dhaka. Many of the passengers were returning home after visiting their families for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The search for the M.V. Pinak was called off Monday after being hampered by bad weather and strong currents. While 48 bodies had been recovered, 61 people remain missing presumed dead.

Unusual action

According to the Reuters news agency, it is the first time such charges have been filed against a ferry owner in Bangladesh, where deadly maritime accidents are all too common. Lax safety standards, overcrowding and poor ship maintenance are often to blame.

Ferries are a primary method of transport in the low-lying country, which has an extensive network of waterways.

se/kms (Reuters, AP, AFP)