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21 killed in Bangladesh boat accident

AFP

At least 21 people were killed and dozens remain missing as a boat packed with passengers and a sand-laden cargo ship collided Friday in a lake in eastern Bangladesh, officials said.

The boat was reportedly carrying some 60 passengers when the incident occurred on a lake in the town of Bijoynagar, local government administrator Hayat-ud-Doula Khan said.

The cargo ship’s steel tip and the boat collided, causing the passenger vessel to capsize, he said.

“We have recovered 21 bodies including nine women and six children so far,” he told AFP, adding that the toll would likely rise.

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Local fire service spokesman Taufiqul Islam said divers were searching the scene of the accident for more bodies, and that reinforcements had been called in from neighbouring towns. Locals also joined the rescue efforts.

Police said at least seven people were taken to a local hospital after they were rescued from the sunken boat.

Survivor Akhi Akter said she was travelling with her son, mother-in-law and brother-in-law in the passenger boat.

“When the accident occurred, I managed to swim back to the bank. But the rest of my relatives are still missing,” she said tearfully.

Local authorities have formed a probe committee to investigate the accident.

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The maritime accident was the latest in a string of similar incidents in the south Asian country. 

In April and May, 54 were killed in two separate boat capsizing accidents.

Experts blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding for many of the accidents.

Vessels transporting sand sit low in the water and can be hard to see in choppy conditions, particularly in poor lighting.

In June last year, a ferry sank in Dhaka after it was hit from behind by another ferry, killing at least 32 people.

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In February 2015, at least 78 people died when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo boat.

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María Corina Machado kidnapped and forced to record videos before being released, says opposition

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In a post on X, the opposition team stated that the former lawmaker was “intercepted and knocked off the motorcycle she was traveling on” after leading a rally in the Chacao area of the Venezuelan capital.

“Gunshots were fired during the incident. She was forcibly detained. During her kidnapping, she was forced to record several videos, and then she was released,” the statement added, which was made public nearly two hours after Machado’s party, Vente Venezuela, reported that she had been “violently intercepted.”

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International

Governor Jenniffer González expresses solidarity with Venezuela’s struggling opposition

Puerto Rico’s Governor Jenniffer González expressed her sorrow over Venezuela’s political crisis on Thursday and voiced her support for Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, just one day before President Nicolás Maduro is set to take office following the controversial July elections.

“I think it is sad that the Venezuelan people have to suffer the consequences of a dictator who came to power by deceiving the people. I recognize Edmundo González for his leadership,” the governor stated during a press conference, coinciding with a day of protests by Venezuela’s opposition.

“The Venezuelan community has my full support, and, as we have done in the past, we will maintain that line of communication with whatever we can collaborate on,” assured the Puerto Rican head of government.

González Urrutia is currently in the Dominican Republic, the last announced stop on his American tour, where he was accompanied by Dominican President Luis Abinader and former Latin American presidents from the Spain and Americas Democratic Initiative (Grupo Idea).

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International

Hundreds of venezuelan protesters demand ‘democratic change’ in Rome

Dozens of Venezuelans demonstrated in central Rome on Thursday to show their support for opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia and demand a “democratic change,” on the eve of the presidential inauguration that has deeply divided the country.

The protest took place in the Roman square of Largo Argentina and gathered several members of the Venezuelan diaspora and refugees, who sang their national anthem and displayed signs with the slogan “Glory to the brave people.”

Around 150 participants were present, according to one of the coordinators of the protest, Celeste Puerta from the ‘Aiuto Venezuela’ Civic Movement, who spoke to EFE.

Similar actions have been organized in other Italian cities, including Bologna, Florence, and Milan in the north.

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