According to officials, at least 37 people were murdered when an overloaded night boat in Bangladesh caught fire on Friday, as scared passengers leaped overboard to escape the inferno.
The latest marine disaster to strike the impoverished low-lying nation occurred in the early hours of the morning in a river near Jhalokathi, some 250 kilometres (160 miles) south of Dhaka.
“We have found 37 corpses. The death toll is certain to climb. The majority killed as a result of the fire, while a few died as a result of drowning after many people leapt into the river “Moinul Islam, the local police head, said AFP.
According to Islam, the fire started in the engine room and spread throughout the ship. Despite having an official capacity of 310 passengers, the ship was carrying at least 500 passengers, many of whom were returning from the capital.
“We’ve sent about 100 individuals to hospitals in Barisal with burn injuries,” he added.
According to witnesses, the fire started at 3:00 a.m. (2100 GMT) and swiftly spread.
“On the ground floor deck, we slept on a mat. All of the passengers were fast asleep. Nayeem, my nine-year-old grandson, was with me when he leaped into the river. I’m not sure what happened to him “remarked an elderly granny
Other survivors reported seeing a minor fire in the engine room as soon as the crowded boat left Dhaka’s Sadarghat river station at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday.
“As the fire grew, many people fled for safety. Many folks were unable to leave their cabins where they were sleeping. Many people leaped into the river “Another survivor at Barisal Medical College Hospital spoke up.
According to Johar Ali, the local administrator, rescuers came within an hour of the fire breaking out and took the injured to neighbouring hospitals.
“The fire burned for four or five hours before being extinguished. The [ferry] has been completely demolished. They did, however, manage to carry it to the beach “Ali said.
Images on local television showed burned motorcycles and damaged rooms on the boat.
As fire department and coast guard divers probed the murky waters, shell-shocked survivors and their family swarmed the shore.
The catastrophe was the most recent in a series of similar accidents in the delta nation, which is crisscrossed by rivers.
Experts in the 170 million-person South Asian nation blame inadequate maintenance, low safety regulations at shipyards, and congestion.
At least 21 persons were murdered in August when a passenger boat and a sand-laden cargo ship collided. In two separate accidents in April and May, 54 people were murdered.
A ferry sunk in Dhaka in June after being rammed from behind by another ship, killing at least 32 passengers. In February 2015, an overloaded ship collided with a cargo vessel, killing at least 78 passengers.
Fires are another common cause of catastrophe. A fire in a food and beverage plant in Rupganj, an industrial town west of Dhaka, killed 52 people in July.
In February 2019, a fire ripped through Dhaka flats where chemicals were illegally kept, killing at least 70 people.
