July 14, 2003	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1424

DHAKA, July 13: The sonar-equipped navy ship, Shaibal, has not yet been able to trace the sunken Bangladeshi ferry, MV Nasrin-1, even after two-days search. The crew of the ship, however, hope to locate the launch in a day or two.

Rescuers told local reporters in Chandpur said that they have selected three spots where they believe the launch may be found. “We suspect that the launch is lying about 50 metres from western corner of Puran Bazar,” said Salauddin Ahmed, Lieutenant Commander of the Navy.

Meanwhile, two more badly decomposed bodies were recovered from the disaster site and Bakerganj on Sunday, raising the recorded death toll from the worst ever launch disaster to 125.

The triple-decked MV Nasrin-1, sailing from capital to the coastal town of Lalmohon with more than 700 passengers on board, was caught in a strong whirlpool in the confluence of three turbulent rivers — Padma, Meghna and Dakatia — on Tuesday and sunk near the Chandpur launch terminal.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was learnt to have “blasted” the shipping minister on Sunday for his “failure to take adequate measures to stop frequent ferry disasters and irresponsible public comments” after such accidents.