Dhaka: At least 40 people were killed and over 150 injured when a three-storey boat carrying around 800 passengers caught fire on the Sugandha River in southern Bangladesh early Friday. – Crossed by rivers.
A fire broke out in the engine room of the Barguna-bound at around 3:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday MV Abhijan-10 Police and fire brigade officials said several other passengers were missing after they started their journey from Dhaka.
“Nine bodies were pulled out of the river… 72 passengers injured in the fire are being treated here Barishal Medical College Hospital Alone,” a fire official told a local television channel.
Television channels quoted officials as saying that at least 40 people died in the fire.
A police officer told reporters at the scene that most people died after the fire broke out, while some drowned after jumping into the river.
“Many passengers were sleeping when the fire broke out… some died due to inhalation of smoke, some died and some drowned,” he said.
Witnesses told reporters that the “launch” passenger ferry in Bangladesh was carrying passengers beyond its capacity and most of them were visiting their homes to spend more time with their families on extended weekends.
Massive rescue operations were underway and weeping relatives crowded the riverbank and the hospital.
Another fire brigade official said that an investigation has been started into the cause of the fire due to passenger ferry passing through Jhalakathi district.
Officials have ordered an inquiry to find out the cause of the fire. A seven-member committee has been constituted and the work has been done to submit the report in three days. Rescue workers fear the death toll could rise as more passengers were injured in the early morning fire.
Several passengers jumped into the river to save their lives amid the fire that lasted for nearly three hours. Survivors say the launch was packed with passengers, bdnews24.com reported.
Kamal Uddin Bhuyan, Deputy Director Barishal Fire Service The person leading the response said he suspected the fire may have started in the launch’s engine room.
“After getting the information, 15 fire units led by Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, Deputy Director of Barishal Division Fire Service And Civil Defense Went to the spot at 3:50 am and doused the fire at 5:20 am.”
Saidur Rahman, one of the survivors, said: “A sudden fire broke out around 3 a.m. in the engine room of the launch and spread rapidly when the ship was near the Gabkhan bridge.” daily star Newspaper.
“There were many passengers there, including children and elderly people. Many of them jumped into the river and were able to swim to the shore,” he said.
“I caught a burning smell and came out of the VIP cabin and found out that there was a fire. Me, my wife and brother-in-law then jumped into the cold water and swam to the shore,” he said.
The accident was the latest in several similar incidents in Bangladesh, a small country surrounded by a network of about 230 rivers of various shapes and sizes. These watercourses cover about 7 percent of the total area of the country.
In May this year, an overloaded speedboat manned by an inexperienced underage boy reportedly capsized after colliding with a sand-laden ship in May this year, killing at least 26 people.
In June last year, a ferry carrying more than 100 passengers overturned after colliding with another boat from behind in the Buriganga River in Bangladesh, killing at least 32 people. In February 2015, at least 78 people were killed when an overcrowded ship rammed into a cargo ship.
A fire broke out in the engine room of the Barguna-bound at around 3:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday MV Abhijan-10 Police and fire brigade officials said several other passengers were missing after they started their journey from Dhaka.
“Nine bodies were pulled out of the river… 72 passengers injured in the fire are being treated here Barishal Medical College Hospital Alone,” a fire official told a local television channel.
Television channels quoted officials as saying that at least 40 people died in the fire.
A police officer told reporters at the scene that most people died after the fire broke out, while some drowned after jumping into the river.
“Many passengers were sleeping when the fire broke out… some died due to inhalation of smoke, some died and some drowned,” he said.
Witnesses told reporters that the “launch” passenger ferry in Bangladesh was carrying passengers beyond its capacity and most of them were visiting their homes to spend more time with their families on extended weekends.
Massive rescue operations were underway and weeping relatives crowded the riverbank and the hospital.
Another fire brigade official said that an investigation has been started into the cause of the fire due to passenger ferry passing through Jhalakathi district.
Officials have ordered an inquiry to find out the cause of the fire. A seven-member committee has been constituted and the work has been done to submit the report in three days. Rescue workers fear the death toll could rise as more passengers were injured in the early morning fire.
Several passengers jumped into the river to save their lives amid the fire that lasted for nearly three hours. Survivors say the launch was packed with passengers, bdnews24.com reported.
Kamal Uddin Bhuyan, Deputy Director Barishal Fire Service The person leading the response said he suspected the fire may have started in the launch’s engine room.
“After getting the information, 15 fire units led by Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, Deputy Director of Barishal Division Fire Service And Civil Defense Went to the spot at 3:50 am and doused the fire at 5:20 am.”
Saidur Rahman, one of the survivors, said: “A sudden fire broke out around 3 a.m. in the engine room of the launch and spread rapidly when the ship was near the Gabkhan bridge.” daily star Newspaper.
“There were many passengers there, including children and elderly people. Many of them jumped into the river and were able to swim to the shore,” he said.
“I caught a burning smell and came out of the VIP cabin and found out that there was a fire. Me, my wife and brother-in-law then jumped into the cold water and swam to the shore,” he said.
The accident was the latest in several similar incidents in Bangladesh, a small country surrounded by a network of about 230 rivers of various shapes and sizes. These watercourses cover about 7 percent of the total area of the country.
In May this year, an overloaded speedboat manned by an inexperienced underage boy reportedly capsized after colliding with a sand-laden ship in May this year, killing at least 26 people.
In June last year, a ferry carrying more than 100 passengers overturned after colliding with another boat from behind in the Buriganga River in Bangladesh, killing at least 32 people. In February 2015, at least 78 people were killed when an overcrowded ship rammed into a cargo ship.
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