More than 250 passengers travelling from Sandwip to Bansbaria in Chattogram were stranded on a ferry for over seven hours after it ran aground in the Sandwip channel due to low water levels.

The ferry Kopotakkho left Guptachhara in Sandwip for Bansbaria in Sitakunda around 7:10pm yesterday but became stuck shortly after departure.

Passengers remained on board throughout the night as the ferry could not move through the shallow channel.

Arman Zarif, one of the passengers, said an ambulance carrying a patient was also on the ferry and the patient's oxygen cylinder ran out after the vessel became stranded. The patient's relatives brought a doctor by boat, who treated him on board.

Passengers also complained that food at the ferry canteen was sold at around two and a half times the usual prices, saying they had no alternative because they could not leave the ferry.

The ferry resumed movement around 2:45am after the tide came in and reached Bansbaria around 5:00am, said its master Saiful Islam.

Nayan Shil, deputy director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), said the ferry had reached Bansbaria and would operate on schedule today.

“Discussions are underway with the higher authorities to resolve the navigability problem,” he said.

The ferry service had resumed recently after remaining suspended for four days due to rough weather.

In October last year, Kopotakkho also got stuck in the same area and remained stranded for around 25 hours before being rescued by three tugboats.