At least 42 perish in floating inferno

At least 42 people burnt to death and 72 others were injured in a massive fire that ripped through a launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka to Barguna in the early hours of Friday, according to TV channels and online sources.

The blaze, in fact, began on the Avijan-10 in the midstream of the Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalakathi district's Sadar upazila, 250kms south of Dhaka, around 3am. Within five to 10 minutes, the flames engulfed the vessel, report agencies.

"We were alerted around 3.30am," Fazlul Haque of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Barishal, told UNB.

However, the first firefighting vessels took some time to reach the ill-fated launch due to dense fog in the area.

"Thirty-seven bodies have been recovered and 72 people rescued from the ill-fated launch," Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Jhalakathi Moinul Haque said.

Of the 37 bodies, four were identified and the remaining 33 bodies were sent to Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital Morgue, said the ASP.

Of the 72 injured, 66 have been admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) in Barishal with serious burns. The others are being treated at Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital. "Of the 66, with up to 50 per cent burns, 18 are women," said Dr Moniruzzaman, assistant director at the SBMCH.

"Three women and four men with life-threatening burns have been referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as we've no dedicated burn unit," he added.

Two of the injured succumbed to burn injuries on the way to DMCH.

According to sources, burn victims admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, only major hospital in the entire southern region, were facing an unbelievable situation. The burn ward of the hospital allegedly had been non-functional for the past two years. The burn victims of the launch have been accommodated in the opthalmological unit and general surgeons instead of burn specialists were attending the patients.

Meanwhile, the ill-fated vessel has been brought to the shore.

"In fact, Jhalakathi's local firefighters initially tried to douse the flames and later the Barishal fire service joined them," said Kamal Uddin, deputy director (Barishal division) of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Eventually, five firefighters took nearly two hours to bring the blaze under control at 5.20am. "The fire was completely doused around 11.30am," said Kamal.

As it was the weekend eve (Thursday), Kamal said, the launch was carrying over 800 passengers. "Most of them jumped off the vessel and swam ashore after the fire had broken out on board."

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mourned the loss of lives.

Expressing profound shock and sorrow, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday directed the authorities concerned to ensure quick treatment of the injured and hand over the bodies to their relatives promptly.

She prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members, and the quick recovery of the injured.

Now in the Maldives on a state visit, the Prime Minister regularly enquiries about the incident, said a PMO press release.

The deadly fire on Avijan-10 running from Dhaka to Barguna on Friday was caused by an explosion, the owner said denying mechanical faults.

The launch caught fire after in the middle of the Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalakathi district's Sadar upazila, leaving dozens dead and many missing.

Contacted on Friday noon, Hum Jalal Sheikh, the owner of the gutted vessel, told UNB that Anwar, one of the supervisors of the launch, informed him about the fire around 3am.

Quoting Supervisor Anwar, Hum Jalal said there was an explosion on the second floor, followed by a fire that spread in the cabins of the third floor and the ground floor in the rear of the launch. However, it was not known yet how the fire started.

In response to a question about mechanical faults, Jalal said that the launch had at least 21 fire extinguishers, but the fire spread so fast that there was no time to use them.

Claiming that there was no mechanical fault in the launch, he said that if the engine caught fire, the fire would never spread to the whole ship. The fire spread from the second floor to the engine and the cabin following an explosion.

Jalal owns MV Avijan-10, 3 and 5 launches.

"I don't have any insurance for launch," he said.

An FE report says: Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB) demanded on Friday that the government mete out exemplary punishment to those responsible for the fire incident that charred 39 people dead and 72 others injured on the Barguna-bound launch.

Calling upon the government for proper inquiry into the incident, it also demanded proper treatment of the burn-injured passengers and Tk 1.0 million compensation to each of the victims' families.

PWAB (or widely known as Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity) made the demand in a statement issued on Friday signed by its secretary general Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury.

He urged the government to bring seriously burn- injured passengers to Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in the capital by using helicopter and ensure their treatment free of cost.

Earlier the passenger launch MV Avijan-10 left Dhaka River Port Terminal at Sadarghat in the capital with around 350 passengers aboard for Barguna on Thursday night.

All of a sudden the vessel's engine caught fire around 3:00 am on Friday when it was moving on the Sugandha River in Jhalakathi district toward its Barguna destination.

Mr Chowdhury said a section of unscrupulous officials of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BUWTA) and the Department of Shipping were responsible for issuing survey certificate and route permit to such type of dilapidated and years-old launches due to which accidents recur.

He demanded proper inquiry into the fatal accident and exemplary punishment to those who are responsible.

He claimed that many faulty launches were still operating due to absence of proper monitoring by the departments concerned.

He alleged that safety and security of the launch passengers were not increased proportionately despite increase in launch fare many times in the past.

Meanwhile, leaders of Bangladesh River Vessel Workers Federation (or Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation) expressed on Friday deep shocks over the deaths due to the tragic fire incident at the launch MV Avijan-10.

In a statement signed by its president Md Shah Alam Bhuiyan and general secretary Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam issued on the day, the Federation called upon the government and the launch owner to arrange free proper treatment for the burn-injured passengers.

It also conveyed sympathy to the victims' family members.

The Federation also declared to hoist black flag on all river vessels for the next three days.

In another development, the Shipping Ministry and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority have formed two committees to probe the fire.

The ministry panel, a seven-member one, has been asked to submit its report within three working days.

After visiting the injured passengers at SBMCH on the day, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury announced to provide Tk 0.15 million to each of the fire victims.

Besides, the arrangement of the treatment for injured will be ensured, said the state minister.

"We will take action in line with the report given by the investigation committee within the next three working days," he added.