© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ferry fire kills at least 39 in southern Bangladesh

A person consoles his relative who is unable to find his five year old son travelling on a ferry which caught fire on the Sugandha River. Bangladesh fire services say at least 37 passengers have been killed.
Niamul Rifat
/
AP
A person consoles his relative who is unable to find his five year old son travelling on a ferry which caught fire on the Sugandha River. Bangladesh fire services say at least 37 passengers have been killed.

Updated December 24, 2021 at 10:00 AM ET

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A massive fire swept through a crowded river ferry in southern Bangladesh early Friday, leaving at least 39 people dead and 72 injured, as passengers jumped off the vessel and swam to the shore, officials said.

The blaze broke out around 3 a.m. on the MV Avijan-10, which was carrying 800 passengers off the coast of Jhalokati district on the Sugandha River, they said.

Fire officer Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, who led the rescue operation, said the fire may have started in the engine room. He said 15 fire engines took nearly two hours to control the blaze.

The ferry was brought to the shore after the fire was extinguished, and the fire engines spent eight more hours cooling it, he said.

The ferry was traveling from Dhaka, the capital, to Barguna, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) to the south. Fire officer Fazlul Haque said it was packed with passengers because many were returning to their homes to spend the weekend with their families and friends.

He said rescuers recovered 39 bodies. All of the 72 injured passengers were hospitalized, including seven with severe burns who were taken to a Dhaka hospital in critical condition.

As the fire ripped through the crowded ferry, many passengers jumped into the river to escape the flames.

"I was sleeping on the deck and woke up hearing screams and a loud noise. To my utter shock, I saw thick smoke coming out from the back of the ferry. I jumped into the freezing water of the river in the thick fog like many other passengers and swam to the riverbank," a survivor, Anisur Rahman, told reporters.

The government set up two committees to investigate the fire and ordered them to report their findings in three days.

Ferry accidents are common and are often blamed on overcrowding and lax rules in Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by about 130 rivers. Ferries are a leading means of transportation, especially in the southern and northeastern regions.

In April, 25 people died after a ferry collided with another vessel and capsized outside Dhaka.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content