Bangladesh launch fire kills at least 37, injures over 100

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: At least 37 people were burnt to death and over one 100 injured as a launch carrying over 700 passengers caught fire on Sugandha River at Gabkhan-Dhansiri area under Sadar upazila in Jhalokathi on early Friday.

Identities of the victims could not be known immediately.

‘Bodies of 37 people were recovered so far. The number of burn injured people will be over 100. The launch had been carrying 700 to 800 passengers,’ Jhalokathi deputy commissioner Md Zohor Ali told a national daily about 12:10 pm.

Jhalokathi Sadar police station officer-in-charge Khalilur Rahman said that the injured ones were rushed to Jhalokathi Sadar Hospital and, of them, the critically injured ones were being referred to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.

‘The launch caught fire at about 3:00am on Friday while it was on its way to Barguna from Dhaka,’ said Kamal Uddin, deputy director of fire service and civil defence in Barishal.