Bagerhat: No initiative has yet been taken to salvage the coal-laden vessel that capsized in the Pashur River in Mongla upazila near the Sundarbans on Saturday night.

With the latest one, at least eight commercial ships sank in the river in the last five years.

On Saturday night, the vessel carrying 775 tonnes of coal capsized in the Pashur River near the Sundarbans.

Commander Oli Ullah, harbour master of Mongla Port, said Jashore-bound ‘MV-Bilash’ capsized in the river around 10pm after loading coal from mother vessel, MV-Observatory, at the port.

The incident occurred as the ship ran aground in a hidden shoal for following a wrong route.

On information, members of Mongla Coast Guard and salvage vessel Shib Shah reached the spot and rescued seven staff, including sailors and crew, from the capsized vessel.

However, the sunken vessel could not be salvaged in the last two days till Monday.

After the accident, Mongla Port Authority Chairman Commodore AKM Faruk Hasan said they ordered the owner to salvage the cargo within the next 15-20 days. “If they fail to do so, the port authorities will sell it in auction and then we’ll work to retrieve the cargo,” he had said.

Mahmudul Hasan, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Zone, said the accident spot is very close to the Sundarbans.