One arrested for launching a fire on Sugandha river in Jhalokati, Bangladesh

 

One of the owners of Expedition-10 has been arrested in connection with the launch fire on the Sugandha river in Jhalokati, according to RAB. Responsible.

 

 

One arrested for launching a fire on Sugandha river in Jhalokati, Bangladesh

 

 

 

Global New News Desk –
One arrested for launching a fire on Sugandha river in Jhalokati, Bangladesh. The launch caught fire at around 3 pm on Thursday evening on its way to Barguna from Barisal via Barisal after leaving Sadarghat in Dhaka. At least 42 people were killed in the blaze and drowning in the river.

Mohammad Hamzalal Sheikh, one of the owners of Rapid Action Battalion or RAB Bargunagami Abhiyan-10, was arrested in connection with the incident.

RAB spokesman Commander Khandaker Al Moin said that he was arrested from Keraniganj area of ​​Dhaka on Monday morning.

Eight people, including four launch owners, were charged in a case filed by an official of the Shipping Department in the Dhaka Naval Court on Sunday.

Last week, the launch caught fire while it was on the Sugandha River in Jhalokati, killing at least 42 people. Most people were so burned that their bodies could not be identified.
Of the four owners of the Abhiyan-10 launch, Hamzalal Sheikh owns 50 per cent, officials said.

 

 

RAB officials said they were conducting operations to arrest the remaining accused in the case.

The Department of Shipping’s lawsuit alleges the launch did not have adequate fire extinguishers, buoys and sandboxes, and was operated with unauthorized manpower.
The launch caught fire at around 3pm on Thursday evening on its way to Barguna via Barisal from Sadarghat in Dhaka.

When the fire spread throughout the launch, many passengers jumped into the river to save their lives. It is alleged that the passengers were still missing.

Forty-two people died in the blaze and drowning in the river. At least 60 other passengers of the launch are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in critical condition.

In the same incident, a separate case has been registered in the Barguna court against Hamzalal Sheikh as the main accused and a few others. The court directed the concerned police station to take the case as evidence.

Looking back

 

Terrible launch fire kills at least 40 in Jhalokati river – says local administration

At least 42 people have been killed when a passenger launch caught fire on the Sugandha River in Bangladesh’s southern district of Jhalokati.

Saiful Hasan, the divisional commissioner of Barisal, confirmed the number to the BBC.

Jhalokati Additional Superintendent of Police in the morning. Moinul Haque told BBC Bangla that 36 bodies had been recovered inside and outside the launch.

He said the launch caught fire and many jumped into the river. As a result, dead bodies are still being found in the river.

Officials fear the death toll could rise further.
Barisal Divisional Commissioner Saiful Hasan told BBC Bangla that a launch named ‘MV Abhiyan’ left Dhaka for Barguna last night. The launch caught fire in the early morning on the Sugandha river in Jhalokati.

One arrested for launching a fire on Sugandha river in Jhalokati, Bangladesh

 

 

The injured have been shifted to Barisal Sadar Hospital and local hospitals, the divisional commissioner said.

Officials have not yet been able to say how the launch started.
Akkas Sikder, a local journalist from Jhalokati, told BBC Bangla that he got the news of the launch fire at around 3.30 am.

He said many passengers jumped into the river to save their lives.

The launch was reportedly carrying extra passengers. However, it is believed that the fire started from the engine room.

Citing passengers, local journalist Akkas Sikder said the two-storey deck was quite hot when the launch left Dhaka on Thursday evening. When the passengers complained, the launch staff spread the carpet. But this heat continues to rise.

One arrested for launching a fire on Sugandha river in Jhalokati, Bangladesh

 

 

At one stage, the passengers complained that the engine room caught fire.

At least 60 of the injured were brought to Jhalokati Sadar Hospital, of which 20 were left there and the rest were shifted to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, said journalist Akkas Sikder.

What happened to the launch that burned at midnight on the Sugandha river in Jhalokati

The passengers of the launch named Abhiyan-10, which left for Barguna with hundreds of passengers from Sadarghat in Dhaka, said that the launch caught fire at around 2 am on its way to Barguna from Barisal Ghat.

An indescribable atmosphere was created by the screams, shouts and screams of the launch in the river and women, men and children, many of whom are still missing, jumped into the river to save their lives from the fire.

At one stage, the launch was sunk on the shore at Diakul village in Jhalokati, but many of the stranded passengers were injured while trying to get off quickly. Some have lost their children and have not been found yet.

 

 

One passenger said that when the fire broke out in the middle of the night, there was no other way but fire on one side and water on the other.

 

According to some of the passengers, from the time they left Dhaka, there was occasional loud noise from the engine side and heavy black smoke could be seen.

“Many of us knew there was a problem the floors were also getting hot. There was a loud noise in the engine and I saw a lot of black smoke. The staff said there would be no problem, “said Zahirul, a passenger in a three-storey cabin at the launch.

Zahirul jumped into the river after catching fire and was able to reach shore after floating for about an hour. His two legs were burnt in the fire.

 

 

He spoke to the BBC on the phone from the hospital.

According to him, the launch was running on one engine after leaving Sadarghat. After leaving Chandpur, the second engine was started.

“Then I fell asleep. Suddenly I woke up with a loud scream. I opened the door and saw the fire. The staff was still patient. But I couldn’t stand the heat of the fire and jumped into the river.”
What was the condition of the inside of the launch then?

Passengers say that the launch was going to Barguna through Sugandha river from Barisal ghat. Suddenly a loud noise was heard and the entire launch caught fire between two and three o’clock at night.

One arrested for launching a fire on Sugandha river in Jhalokati, Bangladesh

 

 

 

 

At one point the engine stopped but the launch was running for quite some time due to the speed.

At this time the fire spread further in the air. Moreover, like all passenger launches, the fire spread quickly because of the large number of passengers’ clothes and carpets on the floor inside.

The engine room was at the back of the ground floor of the three-story launch. From then until the front, there were some luggage and a lot of passengers, who basically spread their clothes on the carpet and made their place to sleep.

There were luggage or sacks with many passengers starting from their own cloth bags.

But no one has any information about the exact number of passengers. There was no advance ticketing at the launch.

 

 

The front of the two-story cabin and the rest of the open space is known as the deck.

There were women and children in many families, so they surrounded their place with clothes.

On the ground floor and on the second floor deck part of the launch was triple as a curtain on both sides.
Got the father, Amena is still looking for the mother

A student named Amena Akhter was on the second floor with her parents.

“I think my father suddenly woke me up before the call to prayer. went up to the roof of the three-storey building with my parents. saw that the fire was not extinguished. At one point the fire came very close. Then I jumped.

Another passenger, Mohammad Abdullah, says they hear two or three sounds at midnight.

 

 

 

Then he looked down at the stairs and saw the fire.

“Putting clothes around. At one point I got down and went to the front of the launch. I saw a lot of passengers.  an arrow on the opposite side. I took off my pants and jumped into the water. Two minutes later I reached the river bank,” he said.

He saw many men and women trying to swim in the river. After reaching the shore, the passenger helped another girl with his shirt.
Shout, shout

Amena Akhter says that when she woke up, she could hear screams and screams from all sides.

Then when he jumped from the three-story roof, he did not have the consciousness to look at his parents.

 

 

“I don’t know when I left them all.”

However, the passengers on the ground floor and second floor decks sensed the fire earlier but the passengers in the cabin also sensed it later.

Many of them wake up when they hear the noise. Many fell into the cabin suffocated by the smoke.

Zahirul was in a cabin on the third floor and when he heard the sound, he opened the door and was shocked to see the fire.

There were screams coming from all around. He later jumped into the river and was able to reach the shore an hour later.

 

These passengers are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

 

Drivers and staff are responsible for the launch fire at Sugandha river

Fire service and BIWETA authorities have visited the scene of the launch fire at Sugandha river in Jhalokati.

Officials have blamed the launch’s crew and staff for the incident after inspecting the launch that caught fire at noon on Sunday (December 26). They said that their responsibilities were also neglected at that time.

One arrested for launching a fire on Sugandha river in Jhalokati Bangladesh

 

Barisal BIWTA Executive Engineer (Boat) said.

 

Baharul Amin said the MV Expedition-10 launch on the Sugandha River did not have adequate firefighting facilities. The condition of the engine room of the launch is very dilapidated. The fire extinguisher should have been used first as soon as the spark of fire came in the engine room. As many luxurious launches as there are, they have glitter on them, but the engine room is unprotected.

“We are still in the early stages,” said Lt. Col. Zillur Rahman, director (operations) of the Fire Service and Civil Defense. It will take us about two weeks to complete the investigation.

 

 

Then we can give an idea of ​​what caused the fire.

He added that if the launch authorities had quickly anchored the launch and kept it afloat after the fire broke out, so many people would not have died. Since the river is very small. But the driver of the launch did not do that. They left the launch in the middle of the river and left. Then it will become uncontrollable. As a result, people jumped into the river. It has also been burnt in the fire. That is why the number of casualties has increased. The fire destroyed all the signs. We inspected the launch. I saw that the whole launch was burnt. Details will be revealed at the end of the investigation. On paper, there are supposed to be 81 cabins in the launch, but there are 87.

 

 

 

One arrested for launching a fire on Sugandha river in Jhalokati, Bangladesh