DHAKA: At least 40 people died and over 150 others were injured early Friday after a packed three-storey ferry carrying around 800 passengers caught fire on the Sugandha River in southern Bangladesh, officials said, in the latest maritime tragedy to hit the delta nation criss-crossed by rivers.
The fire broke out around 3:00 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.
“Nine of the bodies were retrieved from the river… 72 passengers mostly with fire wounds are being treated at Barishal Medical College Hospital alone,” a fire official told a local television channel.
The television channels, quoting officials, reported that at least 40 people had died in the fire.
A police officer told reporters at the scene that most of the people died from the fire while a few drowned as they jumped into the river after the fire broke out.
“Many passengers were asleep as the fire broke out…Some died from inhaling smoke, some were burnt to death and some drowned,” he said.
Witnesses told reporters that the passenger ferry, called “launch” in Bangladesh, was carrying passengers beyond its capacity and most of them were visiting their homes to spend more time with their families on the extended weekend.
Wailing relatives crowded the bank of the river and the hospital as massive rescue operations were underway.
Another fire official said an investigation was launched into what caused the fire as the passenger ferry was passing by the Jhhalakathi district.
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. Rescuers fear the death toll is likely to rise as more passengers have been injured in the pre-dawn fire.
Many passengers jumped into the river in a desperate bid to save their lives as the fire raged for about three hours. Survivors say the launch was packed with passengers, bdnews24.com reported.
—PTI

Press Trust of India