Staff Correspondent

Adviser to the shipping, labour and employment ministries Brigadier General (retd.) Dr M Sakhawat Hossain today distributed Tk 30 lakh among the families of six deceased crew members of MV Al-Bakhera.

The crew members were killed in the cargo ship MV Al-Bakhera in the Meghna River near Hayemchar upazila in Chandpur district on December 23 last year.

The adviser handed over cheques for Tk 30 lakh to six families. Each family got a cheque for Tk 500,000, of which Tk 2 lakh was provided by Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation under the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Tk 3 lakh by Noapara Group, a fertilizer importing company.

The adviser collected the donation from Noapara Group on his own initiative.

While handing over the cheques, Dr M Sakhawat Hossain termed the killing of six crew members at the fertilizer carrying cargo ship as very pathetic and unfortunate. He expressed his deep sympathy to all the members of the deceased families and said the money has been donated to them on humanitarian grounds.

The adviser also instructed the authorities of different departments of his ministries to provide suitable jobs to the members of the deceased families after imparting necessary training to them.

The deceased crew members were Sajibul Islam, son of Daud Hossain and Md Majidul Islam, son of Anis Miah, both hailed from Mohammadpur Upazila of Magura district, Md Salauddin Miah, son of Md Abed Molla and Aminur Munshi, son of Mujibar Munshi, both of them came from Lohagara upazila in Narail, Sheikh Sabuj, son of Md Ataur Rahman and Md Kibria, son of Md Anisur Rahman both were from Faridpur Sadar.

Chaired by labour and employment secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman, senior secretary of the shipping ministry Mohammed Yousuf was present as special guest at the function where senior officials concerned of both the ministries were present.