40 people dead after fire breaks out aboard packed ferry in Bangladesh

At least 40 people died and over 150 others were injured early Friday after a packed threestorey 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 crisscrossed by riversThe fire broke out around 300 am local time on Friday in the engine room of the Bargunabound MV Abhijan10 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 channelThe 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 outSome died from inhaling smoke some were burnt to death and some drownedrdquo he saidWitnesses told reporters that the passenger ferry called ldquolaunchrdquo 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 underwayAnother 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 sevenmember 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 predawn fireMany 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 bdnews24com reported Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan deputy director of the Barishal Fire Service who led the response said they suspect the fire may have started in the launchs engine roomAfter receiving the information 15 firefighting units led by Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan deputy director of Barishal Division Fire Service and Civil Defence went to the scene at 350 am and brought the fire under control at 520 am said a fire service control room statement The engine room of the launch suddenly caught fire around 300 am and spread rapidly when the vessel was near the Gabkhan Bridge Saidur Rahman one of the survivors was quoted as saying by the Daily Star newspaperThere were many passengers including children and elderly Many of them jumped in the river and were able to swim ashore he said I caught a burning smell and came out of the VIP cabin to find out that there was a fire Me my wife and brotherinlaw then jumped in the cold water and swam to the bank he added The accident was the latest in a number of similar incidents in Bangladesh a small country crisscrossed by a network of some 230 rivers of different sizes and shapes These watercourses cover nearly 7 per cent of the total area of the countryAn overloaded speedboat allegedly driven by an inexperienced underage boy capsized in Bangladesh after a collision with a sand laden vessel in May this year killing at least 26 people In June last year a ferry carrying over 100 passengers capsized in the Buriganga river in Bangladesh after it was hit from behind by another ferry killing at least 32 people In February 2015 at least 78 people died when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo vesselThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever