RAJSHAHI : Bodies of five persons including two babies were recovered here today after an incident of boat capsize in the Padma river on Sunday evening.

Divers of Fire Service and Civil Defense recovered the bodies from Talaimary area around 6.30 am, said Nurul Islam, Deputy Director of the service.

The deceased were identified as Sarwar Hossain Rafique, 45, and Rabin, 28, of Dargapara area, Asadul Islam, 45, of Khanpur area and Abul Ahad, 9, and Tamim, 10, students of Shahmukhdum Jamiya Islamia Madrasha.

He said they found the floating bodies at Talaimary area, around three kilometers downstream of the place of occurrence.

Quoting locals Nurul Islam said the boat was travelling from Rajshahi’s Dargapara area to Borokuti on Sunday when the storm hit.

The boat carrying 7-8 passengers sank in the river as a nor’wester lashed the district around 7pm on Monday.

Fire service personnel conducted a day-long search of the Padma on
Monday. The five bodies surfaced on Tuesday morning nearly three kilometres from the site of the accident, in Talaimari.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the storm has risen to nine after five more bodies were recovered from the river.