At least 36 people were killed when a boat carrying passengers caught fire in India’s neighboring country Bangladesh on Friday. Many people were also badly burnt in the accident, due to which the local policeThe death toll is expected to rise further. The horrific accident took place in Jalkoti district, 250 km from the capital Dhaka, when the engine of a boat caught fire in the Sugandha river. Relief work is going on at the spot.According to media reports, the boat caught fire in the middle of the river. During the rescue and relief work in the accident, at least 36 bodies have been recovered by the administration. Most of the people died in the fire and some jumped into the river to save their lives. More than 200 people were burnt in this painful accident and they are being treated in the local hospital.
At least 30 people have been killed after a #fire swept through a passenger ferry on the Sugandha River in southern #Bangladesh, pic.twitter.com/T90LriiRHc
— ANews (@anews) December 24, 2021
Boat ‘MV Abhijan-10’ bound for Barguna left Dhaka at 3 a.m. local time on Friday. The fire service control room said in a statement that 15 fire tenders were rushed to the spot at 3:50 am and the fire was brought under control at 5:20 am after receiving information. A person injured in the accident told the Bangladeshi Daily Star, “At about 3 a.m. a fire broke out in the engine room and the fire spread rapidly near Gabkhan Bridge. About 500 passengers, including children and the elderly, were on board the boat. Many of these people jumped into the river. After the fire broke out, my wife and I jumped into the river and reached the shore.At least 90 people were admitted to the hospital till 9 am, fire brigade officials said. The search operation is still on. Officials said the fire started in the engine room, which later spread to the rest of the boat.