Nasir Chowdhury, deputy general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) in the Aricha sector, confirmed that services restarted at 10:30 AM once visibility improved and the fog lifted.
The disruption began around 1:30 AM when thick fog descended upon the Padma and Jamuna river basins, leading to the suspension of ferry operations. The reduced visibility left four ferries stranded in the middle of the rivers and caused a significant backlog at the terminals, with over 500 vehicles, including more than 400 freight trucks, held up.
At the time of the suspension, four ferries—Borkot, Kopoti, Khan Jahan Ali, and Chitra—were stuck on the rivers, while six ferries were blocked at the Paturia terminal, four at Daulatdia, and three at Aricha. Each vessel was carrying a mix of passengers and vehicles.
As soon as the fog cleared, priority was given to passenger buses, private cars, microbuses, and ambulances, allowing them to cross first, authorities said. Normal ferry operations are gradually resuming as conditions improve.