Poor training and regulation caused Assam boat accident: Global body
May 4th, 2012 - 11:01 am ICT by IANSLondon, May 4 (IANS) A global workers association has blamed poor training, dangerous working practices and inadequate regulation for the deadly ferry accident in Assam. Seventy-one bodies were recovered so far and around 180 more are missing and believed to be dead.
Nick Bramley, chair of the inland navigation section of International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), said in a statement: “This disaster is sadly only the latest in a long series of ferry tragedies in Asia and Africa.”
“Everything points to poor training, dangerous working practices, inadequate regulation and near non-existent enforcement as being the root causes for this and similar losses of life,” he said in a statement Thursday.
“We urge the establishment of modern standards of training and certification for crew members, of effective safety standards for vessels and their crews and of competent enforcement regimes both nationally and internationally,” he added.
On Thursday, eight more bodies were fished out from the river, taking the number of bodies recovered to 71 in Monday’s ferry disaster in Assam’s Dhubri district.
The ferry, which was carrying more than 350 passengers, was hit by a storm near Madattari ghat under Fakirganj police station in Dhubri district and capsized. Only 80 people could be rescued by the local people.
The search operation is being jointly carried out by the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF), the Border Security Force and the Army.
- Assam ferry tragedy: More bodies recovered - May 03, 2012
- Several feared dead in Assam ferry capsize - Apr 30, 2012
- 68 die, over 150 still missing in Assam boat tragedy (Lead) - May 01, 2012
- Assam puts ferry tragedy toll at 63 (Second Lead) - May 02, 2012
- 150 missing, toll could rise in Assam boat accident - May 01, 2012
- "Absence of quick response team led to high toll in Assam ferry tragedy' - May 04, 2012
- Assam asks Dhaka to help locate ferry victims (Lead) - May 02, 2012
- Search resumes for Assam ferry tragedy victims - May 02, 2012
- Assam seeks Rs.365 crore to upgrade water transport - May 06, 2012
- Assam ferry tragedy: 270 still missing, rescue operations on (Lead) - May 01, 2012
- Assam boat tragedy victims' kin to get Rs.1.5 lakh each - May 01, 2012
- Rahul Gandhi meets kin of ferry disaster victims - May 02, 2012
- Rahul, Gogoi to visit Assam disaster site (Lead, Changing dateline) - May 02, 2012
- Disaster response teams deployed in flood-hit Assam - Jul 17, 2011
- Eleven killed, over 25 missing as boat capsizes in Bihar (Lead) - Sep 10, 2012
Tags: assam, boat accident, border security force, bramley, crew members, disaster rescue, enforcement regimes, ferry disaster, ghat, global body, inadequate regulation, international transport workers, itf, national disaster, navigation section, safety standards, search operation, seventy one, workers federation, working practices