According to local officials, a crowded ferry caught fire in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 39 people and injuring approximately 100 others.
The fire broke out midriver near the town of Jhalakathi as the three decked vessel sailed from Dhaka to Barguna.
Some of the victims drowned after jumping into the water.
Because many of the passengers suffered severe burns, the number of fatalities in Friday’s disaster is expected to rise.
According to reports, the MV Avijan-10 carried up to 500 passengers.
According to Kamal Hossain Bhuiyan, a fire official with the fire services, the fire is believed to have started in the engine room and quickly spread as the ferry traveled along the Sugandha river at around 03:00 local time (21:00 GMT Thursday).
The fire, according to reports, raged for several hours.
The ship’s owner, Hum Jalal Sheikh, has denied that it was caused by a mechanical failure.
According to him, there was an explosion on the second floor of the ferry, and the ensuing fire spread to the engine room.
According to one survivor, an elderly grandmother, most people were sleeping when the fire broke out.
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“We slept on a mat on the deck on the ground floor,” she explained.
“My nine-year-old grandson, Nayeem, was with me when he jumped into the river.
I don’t know what happened to him.”
Another woman, who was traveling with her father, sister, and six-month-old nephew, reported the child missing.
“When the fire broke out, I gave the baby to a man.
He was trying to help the child.
But we can’t seem to track them down any longer “She stated this.
According to a ferry passenger, the vessel appeared to be experiencing engine problems prior to the fire and later became filled with smoke.
“The windows on the ferry had curtains, and the smoke was trapped behind the curtains,” he explained.
