A tourist-carrying Houseboat caught fire on Friday night near Shahid Siraj Lake (Niladri Lake) on the northern side of the haor (wetland).
According to the police, the tourists were rescued before the fire could spread throughout the boat, so no one was harmed.
Police and local sources reported that a houseboat named “Rahbar” had departed from the Tahirpur upazila headquarters on Friday morning, carrying tourists to Tanguar Haor.
After touring the observation tower area during the day, the boat reached the Shahid Siraj Lake area in Tekerghat in the evening for an overnight stay. It was anchored along with other boats.
At around 8pm, as the boat neared the shore, nearby people suddenly noticed the fire on the boat. Another nearby houseboat rushed over and rescued 12 tourists. Shortly after, the fire spread throughout the entire boat, which eventually burned down completely.
Golam Rabbani, president of the Tahirpur Boat Owners’ Association, said there were seven male and five female tourists on board.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tahirpur Police Station Mohammad Delwar Hossain said: “Initial investigation suggests the fire may have originated from a gas cylinder on the boat.”
Meanwhile, rainfall has increased across the country due to low pressure, and rising water levels in Tanguar Haor in Sunamganj have attracted more tourists.
Tourist numbers are usually higher on weekends, especially Fridays and Saturdays. Tourists spend the day exploring the haor and stay overnight in houseboats at the Shahid Siraj Lake area, where many boats anchor for the night.
