62 from Natore, Rajshahi still missing

Three more survivors returned while 62 people from the two districts are still missing .

The survivors are Sharif, 17, Minarul, 18, of Harirampur in Bagha of Rajshahi and Aslam, 30, of Champia village in Lalpur of Natore district.

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Five persons-- Moslem, Bissad, Star, Abdus Salam and Arman of Harirampur village in Bagha upazi confirmed over mobile phones that they were alive.

They were engaged in work as day labourers at Manikganj.

Bodies of Abdul Mannan, 18, Nasir, 25 of Sheikh Chilan village in Lalpur and Abdul Latif, 22, Bipul, 25 of Harirampur village in Bagha were buried at their village graveyard as their relatives brought the bodies back.

Thirty-one persons from Harirampur, Barshipara, Ghospara, Jotnashi and Kishore of Bagha, seven from Habibpur and Nandangachi villages in Charghat of Rajshahi, 18 from Champia and Chilan villages in Lalpur and one each from Baraigram, Gurudaspur and Shingra upazila were missing.

Survivour Aslam of Natore said, he escaped death fighting with others on a life buoy.

"The launch workers were consoling us that we will reach the shore within five minutes when it started sinking. I saw my friends Forman, Zamal and Rabiul to loose beneath the furniture and people".

Forman's wife Zarina was lamenting at Chamtia village in Natore while local journalists visited the scene. "The storm damaged my house here and Jamuna took my husband (on the same day)".

Sharif and Minarul of Bagha also had similar stories to tell. They jumped on the river when the launch started sinking and reached the shore floating.