Publish : 25 Dec 2021, 11:12 PMUpdate : 14 Oct 2022, 06:34 PM
Doctors at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (SHNIBPS) are fighting to save the lives of 15 victims of Friday’s deadly launch fire in Jhalakathi.
Several of the victims sheltered in a small corner of the launch that escaped the flames, but they still suffered severe burns from the extreme heat, doctors and relatives have said.
Abdul Malek Khan’s granddaughter Tayeba, 11, and son-in-law Mohammad Bashir, 35, were travelling together on the launch to return home after visiting Dhaka. Bashir managed to survive the fire with burns on 25% of his body, but his frantic efforts to save Tayeba failed.
Abdul Malek arrived in Dhaka from Barisal on Saturday morning after burying his granddaughter. His daughter did not come to see her injured husband, currently in post-operative care, as she was overwhelmed by the death of their child.
Recounting Bashir’s experience on the launch, Abdul Malek said: “The heat was so intense that it woke him from his sleep. He opened his eyes to chaos, with people running here and there. My granddaughter was crying and screaming.”
Bashir took Tayeba and went up to the second floor. He found that all the passengers had gathered in a corner of the launch where there were no flames.
‘They were literally melting’
“Although there was no fire, the body of the launch was gradually becoming extremely hot. At one point, Bashir took off all his clothes. He could smell his own skin burning, as well as that of his daughter,” Abdul Malek told this reporter with tears in his eyes.
Tayeba,in pain, told her father that she could no longer bear the heat. In an act of desperation, Bashir threw Tayeba into the water and jumped in after her.
Bashir swam for an hour while clutching Tayeba with one hand until he reached the shore. Locals found them, their bodies badly burned, and took them to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
“My granddaughter was already dead as she had suffered 40% burns. Bashir was referred to Dhaka because of the severity of his injuries,” Abdul Malek added.
Another launch fire victim at SHNIBPS, 22-year-old Ishrat Jahan Sadia, suffered burns on 25% of her body. Her mother was in the ICU of the hospital in critical condition, while her father was undergoing treatment in the bed next to hers.
Sadia was on her way to Barisal to spend the Christmas holidays with her mother, father and younger brother. They were asleep when the launch caught fire.
The four of them became separated in the chaos after they woke up. Sadia later saw her younger brother and father in a corner of the launch, burning from the heat. She could also see the flesh of her own hand melting.
Sadia's uncle Sahidul Islam Rana said: "We found my sister at Barisal Medical College in critical condition. My sister's husband is 4% burnt and Sadia's condition is also critical, but my nephew is at home now. He was less injured.”
He said they survived because the fire did not get to the corner where they had taken shelter on the second floor, but the intense heat burned their bodies. “My sister's body was on fire, so her condition is the worst now. Up to 80% of her trachea was burnt.”
Selim Reza, a 45-year-old expat worker employed in Saudi Arabia, was visiting Dhaka with his wife Jahanara, 35, headmistress of a school in Barguna, to see a doctor. Reza suffered 46% burns, while his wife is still missing.
Reza’s sister Rehana Akhter said: “Jahanara was not found in the hospital. My brother and his wife both jumped into the water to escape the heat of the fire. About 40-50 more people jumped into the water with them, but most of them could not reach the shore.”
She added that they believed Jahanara had drowned, but there was no time to mourn her passing while Reza was still fighting to survive.
The tally of victims
According to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Coordinator Dr Samanta Lal Sen, a total of 21 people were referred to the institute in the aftermath of the launch fire. One of them died on Friday, one person was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital as he did not have burn injuries, and four others were released after receiving first aid.
Of the 15 launch fire victims still admitted at the hospital, three are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), two in the High-Dependency Unit (HDU), and 10 are in post-operative care.
In the ICU, Shahinur Khatun (45) suffered 25% burns, Marufa (48) 15%, and Monica Rani (40) 30%.
In the HDU, Tamim Hasan (8) suffered 30% burns, and his mother Jasmine Akhter (35) 12%.
The patients in post-operative care are Bachchu Mia (51), Ishrat Jahan Sadia (22), Selim Reza (45), Lamia (13), Mumtaz (60), Md Russell (38), Bankim Majumder (60), Golam Rabbi (20), Khadija (28), and Bashir (35).
Dr Partha Sarathy Majumder, assistant professor of paediatric surgery at SHNIBPS, told Dhaka Tribune: “All the patients who are undergoing treatment here have had their trachea damaged by the fire. There are 2 patients in the ICU, one of whom had 80-90% of her trachea burnt.”
At least 41 passengers died, and 72 others were injured in the devastating fire that broke out in the engine room of the MV Obhijan 10 on the Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalakathi Sadar Upazila at around 3am on Friday.
The launch had recently been fitted with reconditioned engines and was reportedly carrying passengers far beyond its maximum capacity.
15 launch fire victims fighting for their lives
Most patients suffered burns in the trachea, making it difficult for them to breathe
Doctors at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (SHNIBPS) are fighting to save the lives of 15 victims of Friday’s deadly launch fire in Jhalakathi.
Several of the victims sheltered in a small corner of the launch that escaped the flames, but they still suffered severe burns from the extreme heat, doctors and relatives have said.
Abdul Malek Khan’s granddaughter Tayeba, 11, and son-in-law Mohammad Bashir, 35, were travelling together on the launch to return home after visiting Dhaka. Bashir managed to survive the fire with burns on 25% of his body, but his frantic efforts to save Tayeba failed.
Abdul Malek arrived in Dhaka from Barisal on Saturday morning after burying his granddaughter. His daughter did not come to see her injured husband, currently in post-operative care, as she was overwhelmed by the death of their child.
Recounting Bashir’s experience on the launch, Abdul Malek said: “The heat was so intense that it woke him from his sleep. He opened his eyes to chaos, with people running here and there. My granddaughter was crying and screaming.”
Bashir took Tayeba and went up to the second floor. He found that all the passengers had gathered in a corner of the launch where there were no flames.
‘They were literally melting’
“Although there was no fire, the body of the launch was gradually becoming extremely hot. At one point, Bashir took off all his clothes. He could smell his own skin burning, as well as that of his daughter,” Abdul Malek told this reporter with tears in his eyes.
Tayeba,in pain, told her father that she could no longer bear the heat. In an act of desperation, Bashir threw Tayeba into the water and jumped in after her.
Bashir swam for an hour while clutching Tayeba with one hand until he reached the shore. Locals found them, their bodies badly burned, and took them to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
“My granddaughter was already dead as she had suffered 40% burns. Bashir was referred to Dhaka because of the severity of his injuries,” Abdul Malek added.
Another launch fire victim at SHNIBPS, 22-year-old Ishrat Jahan Sadia, suffered burns on 25% of her body. Her mother was in the ICU of the hospital in critical condition, while her father was undergoing treatment in the bed next to hers.
Sadia was on her way to Barisal to spend the Christmas holidays with her mother, father and younger brother. They were asleep when the launch caught fire.
The four of them became separated in the chaos after they woke up. Sadia later saw her younger brother and father in a corner of the launch, burning from the heat. She could also see the flesh of her own hand melting.
Sadia's uncle Sahidul Islam Rana said: "We found my sister at Barisal Medical College in critical condition. My sister's husband is 4% burnt and Sadia's condition is also critical, but my nephew is at home now. He was less injured.”
He said they survived because the fire did not get to the corner where they had taken shelter on the second floor, but the intense heat burned their bodies. “My sister's body was on fire, so her condition is the worst now. Up to 80% of her trachea was burnt.”
Selim Reza, a 45-year-old expat worker employed in Saudi Arabia, was visiting Dhaka with his wife Jahanara, 35, headmistress of a school in Barguna, to see a doctor. Reza suffered 46% burns, while his wife is still missing.
Reza’s sister Rehana Akhter said: “Jahanara was not found in the hospital. My brother and his wife both jumped into the water to escape the heat of the fire. About 40-50 more people jumped into the water with them, but most of them could not reach the shore.”
She added that they believed Jahanara had drowned, but there was no time to mourn her passing while Reza was still fighting to survive.
The tally of victims
According to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Coordinator Dr Samanta Lal Sen, a total of 21 people were referred to the institute in the aftermath of the launch fire. One of them died on Friday, one person was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital as he did not have burn injuries, and four others were released after receiving first aid.
Of the 15 launch fire victims still admitted at the hospital, three are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), two in the High-Dependency Unit (HDU), and 10 are in post-operative care.
In the ICU, Shahinur Khatun (45) suffered 25% burns, Marufa (48) 15%, and Monica Rani (40) 30%.
In the HDU, Tamim Hasan (8) suffered 30% burns, and his mother Jasmine Akhter (35) 12%.
The patients in post-operative care are Bachchu Mia (51), Ishrat Jahan Sadia (22), Selim Reza (45), Lamia (13), Mumtaz (60), Md Russell (38), Bankim Majumder (60), Golam Rabbi (20), Khadija (28), and Bashir (35).
Dr Partha Sarathy Majumder, assistant professor of paediatric surgery at SHNIBPS, told Dhaka Tribune: “All the patients who are undergoing treatment here have had their trachea damaged by the fire. There are 2 patients in the ICU, one of whom had 80-90% of her trachea burnt.”
At least 41 passengers died, and 72 others were injured in the devastating fire that broke out in the engine room of the MV Obhijan 10 on the Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalakathi Sadar Upazila at around 3am on Friday.
The launch had recently been fitted with reconditioned engines and was reportedly carrying passengers far beyond its maximum capacity.