30 killed and 100 injured in Bangladesh ferry fire

As per local officials, a packed ferry caught fire in Southern Bangladesh. The ferry fire caused at least 37 individuals dead and nearly 100 others injured. The fire on the three-decked boat began mid-river close to the city of Jhalakathi. It caught fire after it sailed from the Dhaka, Capital of Bangladesh, to the city of Barguna.

Some of the sufferers drowned after falling into the water. However, the number of deaths in Friday’s accident is likely to rise as several of the passengers have serious burns.

As many as 500 individuals were reportedly on board the ship. People believed that the ferry fire had begun in the engine cabin. Then it rapidly spread as the ferry transited along the Sugandha stream in the first hours. Fire assistance official Kamal Hossain Bhuiyan also stated that local media. The ferry fire reportedly proceeded for hours. One passenger who withstood, an aged grandmother, stated to AFP. She stated that most individuals were sleeping when the blaze broke out.

“We were sleeping on a mat on the ground floor deck,” she said. My nine-year-old grandson, Nayeem, was with me when he jumped into the river. I don’t know what happened to him.”

She also noted that they were sleeping on a covering on the floor deck. Her nine-year-old grandchild, Nayeem, was with her. And he dived into the river. She doesn’t know what occurred to him. A special conference has also been set up to inspect the occurrence, as per the reports. Barguna is nearly 250km south of Dhaka.

Ferry mishaps are very common in Bangladesh. The occurrences happen because of safety standards, poor maintenance, and overcrowding in the nation’s several shipyards. Boats often sink in terrible weather. However, a boat with 50 passengers capsized in June 2020 near Dhaka. It caused dozens of individuals to die in fear.

Credits: BBC