At least seven people were killed when two passenger launches collided on the Meghna River in Chandpur amid dense fog early Friday.

The accident occurred around 2:00am on Thursday night at a point between Haimchar upazila and the Harina area.

Following the collision, the dead and injured passengers were brought to Dhaka’s Sadarghat. Officer-in-Charge of Sadarghat River Police Station Sohag Rana said seven bodies had been recovered so far, while several others were injured. “Further details will be known after we gather more information,” he said.

Chandpur Traffic Inspector of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Babulal Baidya said one person died on the spot and another succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

He said the Dhaka-bound launch MV Zakir Samrat-3, which had departed from Ghosherhat in Bhola, was crossing the Haimchar area shortly after 2:00am when visibility was extremely low due to dense fog. At that time, it collided with the Barishal-bound MV Adventure-9, which was heading out of Dhaka.

After the accident, passengers of MV Zakir Samrat-3 were transported to Dhaka aboard MV Karnafuli-9. One more passenger died on the way, officials added.