News Desk :
Police have recorded a case over the ‘unnatural deaths’ of passengers aboard the MV Abhijan-10 launch after a horrific blaze swept through the vessel on the Sugandha River in Jhalakathi.
Jahangir Hossain, a village police member,filed the case on Saturday, Jhalakathi police chief Khalilur Rahman said, reports bdnews24.com.
The Barguna-bound launch caught fire in the wee hours of Friday, killing at least 38 people and injuring scores over 70.
Witnesses claimed the blaze originated in the engine room before rapidly spreading throughout the vessel.
Of the dead, 33 were buried in Barguna.
On Saturday morning, an investigation committee formed by the Ministry of Shipping inspected the vessel, which remains anchored on the banks of the river in Jhalakathi’s Diakul.
The Jhalakathi Red Crescent Society drew up a list of 51 people who went missing in the incident, according to Deputy Commissioner Md Johar Ali.
“We’ve made a provisional list. The Barguna district administration will finalise it.”
