Launch fire: Another victim dies in hospital, death toll reaches 49
12 more patients are being treated at the hospital
Photo shows MV Abhijan 10, which caught fire on the Sugandha River in Jhalakathi en route to Barguna, Friday, December 24, 2021 Dhaka Tribune
Tribune Report
Publish : 03 Jan 2022, 02:12 PMUpdate : 03 Jan 2022, 02:29 PM
Another victim of the Jhalakathi launch fire succumbed to his burn injuries on Monday, taking the death toll in one of the worst mid-river disasters in Bangladesh to 49.
Rasel Sheikh, 38, was declared dead around 11:45am at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery's Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
He had suffered 28% burns on his body and respiratory tracks, said Dr Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of the institute.
Currently, 12 more patients are being treated at the hospital, including two in ICU, he added.
More than 100 others suffered burns or injuries in the December 24 blaze, the deadliest inland vessel fire in the country’s history.
The day after the fire, rescuers pulled bodies from the charred vessel and the river before burying 24 unidentified bodies in a mass grave.
According to the police, they had information about 41 missing passengers.
The blaze broke out at 3am on the Barguna-bound vessel carrying around 1,000 passengers – much higher than its actual capacity – from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire launch within 10 minutes.
Three cases have been filed over the incident and launch owner Hamjalal Sheikh has been arrested. Launch Master In-Charge Reaz Sikdar, Second Master Khalilur Rahman and drivers Masum Billah and Abul Kalam have all turned themselves into court and taken into custody as well.
Launch fire: Another victim dies in hospital, death toll reaches 49
Another victim of the Jhalakathi launch fire succumbed to his burn injuries on Monday, taking the death toll in one of the worst mid-river disasters in Bangladesh to 49.
Rasel Sheikh, 38, was declared dead around 11:45am at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery's Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
He had suffered 28% burns on his body and respiratory tracks, said Dr Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of the institute.
Currently, 12 more patients are being treated at the hospital, including two in ICU, he added.
More than 100 others suffered burns or injuries in the December 24 blaze, the deadliest inland vessel fire in the country’s history.
The day after the fire, rescuers pulled bodies from the charred vessel and the river before burying 24 unidentified bodies in a mass grave.
According to the police, they had information about 41 missing passengers.
The blaze broke out at 3am on the Barguna-bound vessel carrying around 1,000 passengers – much higher than its actual capacity – from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire launch within 10 minutes.
Three cases have been filed over the incident and launch owner Hamjalal Sheikh has been arrested. Launch Master In-Charge Reaz Sikdar, Second Master Khalilur Rahman and drivers Masum Billah and Abul Kalam have all turned themselves into court and taken into custody as well.
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