The Bangladeshi authorities raised the death toll to 38 after the fire of a three-deck ship carrying between 700 and 800 passengers, a fact that has also left more than 100 injured, relief agencies reported.
“Almost a hundred injured have been sent to hospitals. We still do not know exactly how many passengers were on the boat., we have different testimonials from different people. We estimate that between 700 and 800 passengers were on board, “said the administrative leader of the southern region of Jhalokathi, Mohammad Zohor Ali, who also confirmed the death toll.
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An official from the fire department of the southern region of Barisal, Faizul Haque, told Efe that the fire broke out, for reasons that are still unknown, on the boat that sailed from the Barguna district to the Bangladeshi capital on the Sugandha River.
Sourav Ahmed Ashiq, a lawyer traveling on the boat, He explained that the passengers became aware of the fire around three in the morning and were forced to jump into the river.
“It was night and it was also foggy. At first, we couldn’t decide where to swim, suddenly we saw a light … and we swam in that direction. The locals rescued us and gave us dry clothes, and tea. They took me away. to a hospital because I had breathed smoke, I am still traumatized, “he explained.
Maritime accidents, such as sinking and ship collisions, are frequent in the country, where hundreds of waterways, including the rivers of the Ganges delta such as the Brahmaputra, Padma and Meghna, they are commonly used for transportation.
In most cases, these accidents can be attributed to overloading and the poor condition of the boats, but fires are relatively rare.
According to the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association, a total of 313 people were killed and 371 remain missing in 183 accidents on the country’s waterways in 2020.
