Amid mad rush of homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, five people died in stampede and heatstroke at Banglabazar ferry terminal on Wednesday.
Banglabazar Traffic Police Inspector Ashikur Rahman said a teenage boy was killed in a stampede while getting off Shah Paran ferry.
The deceased was identified as Anchur,15, son of Giasuddin Madbor of Noria upazila of Shariatpur.
Four others died due to heatstroke and stampede while boarding off Enayetpuri ferry at the same terminal, he said.
Sources said that lakhs of people have crossed the Padma River on ferries since morning. All the 17 ferries are operating to cater to the mad rush of homebound people.
Some 800 vehicles and 10,000 people have crossed the river till Wednesday noon, officials said.
Authorities, meanwhile, claimed that people will not face any difficulties in crossing rivers as ferry services are available.
The UNB correspondent found hundreds of people reaching the Daulatdia-Paturia ghat in the afternoon on foot, in rickshaws and other vehicles, defying all the lockdown norms.
Police have installed a number of check-posts on the highway, including Barbaria, Singair and Dhalla areas. Though the cops forced many vehicles coming from other districts to return, passengers were quick to get off the vehicles and head towards the ferry ghat on foot.
Ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Banglabazar routes were suspended to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) said the decision to suspend ferry services on the two busy water routes, with effect from Saturday morning, was taken in the wake of the ongoing second wave of coronavirus.
But the mad rush of homebound people forced them to resume the ferry services.
