Oil tanker plunges into Padma River after losing control in Manikganj
An oil tanker truck plunged into the Padma River at Paturia in Manikganj on Wednesday evening. The accident occurred around 8:00 pm, prompting a swift rescue operation. The vehicle was transporting 17,000 litres of oil from Jashore to Narayanganj when it veered off course and sank into the river.
Locals and fire service teams rushed to the scene after the truck submerged. They managed to pull the driver, Shariful Islam, and his helper to safety shortly after the incident. The recovery vessel Hamza arrived at the site near midnight to assist in retrieving the sunken truck.
Using heavy ropes, the vessel lifted the truck from roughly 60 feet below the surface. By 2:00 pm the following day, the vehicle had been brought to the riverbank and placed onto a pontoon at Paturia's Jetty 2. This incident follows a pattern of similar accidents in recent years. Between 2021 and 2026, at least three major oil transport mishaps were recorded on Bangladeshi waterways. These include a collision in January 2023 on the Padma near Munshiganj, which spilled over 1,000 tonnes of diesel, an August 2024 incident near Barisal, and a leakage in the Meghna River in March 2022.
The truck and its cargo were successfully recovered without further spillage. Authorities will likely investigate the cause of the accident and assess potential risks to river traffic. The driver and helper escaped unharmed, avoiding what could have been a more serious outcome.
