A cargo vessel carrying 5,000 sacks of rice and paddy overturned in a whirlpool at the confluence of the Padma, Meghna and Dakatia rivers in Chandpur on Wednesday morning, sending the entire consignment to the riverbed.

All six workers on board swam to shore safely as the vessel capsized near Puranbazar ghat, according to local officials and traders. The cargo was later moored at the bank of the Dakatia river.

“The sunken rice and paddy belonged to several traders in Puranbazar. The loss is around BDT 10 million,” said Nazmul Islam, general secretary of the Chandpur Rice Traders’ Association.

Officers from the river police and local administration visited the site after being alerted to the accident.

Residents said strong currents have been running through the Padma and Meghna rivers for several days, and intermittent rain continued in Chandpur on Wednesday morning.