More fog likely, temperature may fall by 1 to 3 degrees C
Dense fog in the country yesterday continued to disrupt the movement of ferries and other modes of transport. Such fog is likely to continue today, which may bring down the mercury down by 1 to 3 degrees Celsius, as a mild cold wave is likely to spread around the northern region from Rangpur Division, sources at the meteorological department said. Sources at the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) said thick fog in the early hours yesterday forced five ferryboats to anchor in the middle of the Padma at Shimulia for over six hours.
The sources said movement of ferries was stopped from 3am to 9.30am till visibility was restored, when the sun peeped out of the veil of fog on the river. Passengers on the night coaches aboard the ferries were forced to pass a chilly night, when the lowest minimum temperature of 17.5 degrees Celsius was recorded about 35km away in Dhaka city.
However, passengers and drivers of trucks and buses crossing the Padma at Paturia ferry terminal were lucky, as they had to wait for just 40 minutesfrom 7.20am to 8amwhen visibility was restored, said the sources.
Sources at the meteorological department said the fog, which was the worst on Saturday, caused the deaths of at least eight persons. The victims included the son of land minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif. They were killed when a truck rammed a bus that, in turn, hit other vehicles, as a result of poor visibility on the Bangabandhu-Jamuna bridge.
The fog also caused changes in the schedules of at least 33 flights coming and going out of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport yesterday. The delayed flights included a Bangladesh Biman flight and a Turkish Airlines flight.
Meanwhile, the first few drops of rain this winter were recorded on Saturday over Rangpur and Srimangal. Only 4mm of rain was recorded over the offshore island of Kutubdia yesterday.
The fog may continue today because of the presence of moisture in the air, the met sources said.
