Launch fire: A week after tragedy, over 60 people still missing
Probe committee misses deadline to submit investigation report
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Tribune Report
Publish : 30 Dec 2021, 09:29 PMUpdate : 30 Dec 2021, 09:29 PM
More than 60 people are still missing in the fire aboard the Barguna-bound MV Obhijan 10 in Sugandha River that was carrying around 800 passengers, even though a week has passed since the horrific incident.
District administrators of Jhalakati and Barguna, Red Crescent, and fire service officials said they are yet to determine the exact number of missing people.
The rough estimate of missing passengers stands over 60 while the death toll has mounted to 47. Besides, over a hundred people suffered injuries and many of them are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.
Jhalakathi District Administrator Zohar Ali told Dhaka Tribune: “More than 50 people have been listed as missing from Jhalakathi and Barguna districts. DNA samples have been collected to identify the unknown victims buried in Barguna. The exact number of missing people can be announced after receiving the report.”
Meanwhile, the Jhalakathi unit of the Red Crescent Society has collected a list of more than 60 people missing from the information provided by their family members.
Family identifies another victim
Five days after the incident, a victim’s family identified another man killed in the launch fire. The name of the deceased is Abdul Haque.
Firefighters fished out the body from Charkathi of the estuary of Sugandha-Bishkhali River on Wednesday morning.
His wife Roykeya Akter told Dhaka Tribune that she was going to Barguna with her two children and Abdul Haque on the night of the mid-river inferno incident that claimed 47 lives.
“For the last four days, I have been running around with my daughters in Barguna, Barisal and Jhalakathi hospitals and morgues but I have not been able to find my husband. Later I saw his picture on TV and identified him,” she said.
Probe committee misses deadline
The probe committee formed by the Shipping Ministry has been given three more working days from Wednesday to finish its investigation into the unprecedented inferno.
On December 24, the Shipping Ministry formed the seven-member probe committee, asking it to submit its report within three working days. But the deadline was missed.
As per the appeal of the committee, three more working days have been granted, according to a notification issued by the ministry.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police in Barguna on Monday started collecting DNA samples from the families of the missing passengers of MV Obhijan 10 to identify the unclaimed bodies.
Launch fire: A week after tragedy, over 60 people still missing
More than 60 people are still missing in the fire aboard the Barguna-bound MV Obhijan 10 in Sugandha River that was carrying around 800 passengers, even though a week has passed since the horrific incident.
District administrators of Jhalakati and Barguna, Red Crescent, and fire service officials said they are yet to determine the exact number of missing people.
The rough estimate of missing passengers stands over 60 while the death toll has mounted to 47. Besides, over a hundred people suffered injuries and many of them are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.
Jhalakathi District Administrator Zohar Ali told Dhaka Tribune: “More than 50 people have been listed as missing from Jhalakathi and Barguna districts. DNA samples have been collected to identify the unknown victims buried in Barguna. The exact number of missing people can be announced after receiving the report.”
Meanwhile, the Jhalakathi unit of the Red Crescent Society has collected a list of more than 60 people missing from the information provided by their family members.
Family identifies another victim
Five days after the incident, a victim’s family identified another man killed in the launch fire. The name of the deceased is Abdul Haque.
Firefighters fished out the body from Charkathi of the estuary of Sugandha-Bishkhali River on Wednesday morning.
His wife Roykeya Akter told Dhaka Tribune that she was going to Barguna with her two children and Abdul Haque on the night of the mid-river inferno incident that claimed 47 lives.
“For the last four days, I have been running around with my daughters in Barguna, Barisal and Jhalakathi hospitals and morgues but I have not been able to find my husband. Later I saw his picture on TV and identified him,” she said.
Probe committee misses deadline
The probe committee formed by the Shipping Ministry has been given three more working days from Wednesday to finish its investigation into the unprecedented inferno.
On December 24, the Shipping Ministry formed the seven-member probe committee, asking it to submit its report within three working days. But the deadline was missed.
As per the appeal of the committee, three more working days have been granted, according to a notification issued by the ministry.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police in Barguna on Monday started collecting DNA samples from the families of the missing passengers of MV Obhijan 10 to identify the unclaimed bodies.