40 dead in Bangladesh ferry fire

Dhaka, December 24

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A crowded three-storey ferry carrying around 800 passengers caught fire on the Sugandha river in southern Bangladesh early Friday, killing at least 40 persons and injuring over 150 others, officials said, in the latest maritime tragedy to hit the country criss-crossed by rivers.

Authorities ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. A seven-member committee has been formed and tasked to submit a report in three days.

The fire broke out around 3 am (local time) on Friday in the engine room of the Barguna-bound MV Abhijan-10 launch that started a journey from Dhaka, police and fire service officials said, adding that scores of other passengers were missing.

Officials familiar with rescue efforts said 40 persons were killed in the blaze, including nine being drowned, in southern Jhalakathi district, 250 km from the capital Dhaka.

“We have assigned an official team to find out the casualty figure,” the deputy commissioner of Barishal district told the private Samoy TV.

“The record suggests 310 listed passengers were travelling in the ferry, but we assume the actual number was much higher,” junior minister for shipping Khaled Mahmud Chowdhury said.

He said three separate investigations had been launched to find out the background and other details of the predawn accident.

Survivors said the passenger ferry was carrying nearly 800 people as it left Dhaka for Barguna in southern coastlines on Thursday evening. — PTI