A sudden fire broke out on the multi-deck boat MV Obijan-10 with about 800 people on board in the middle of Suganda River, about 150 kilometers southwest of the capital, Dhaka. The spokesman said the fire may have started in the engine room and then quickly spread across the entire boat.
Quite a few people jumped into the water. Some drowned. One of the survivors is Sangeet Chandra Haldar, who told reporters that he saw an explosion and then suddenly thick smoke. After jumping into the water, he and others were saved by fishermen. Television footage showed the ferry on fire, passengers pleading for help and hundreds of relatives on the river bank.
Ham Galal, the owner of the ferry, told reporters that at least 21 fire extinguishers were on board. However, none of them could be used because the fire spread so quickly.
A spokesman for the firefighters said that nearly a hundred people. The ferry was completely burnt out. It took more than three hours for firefighters to put out the fire after the ferry docked in a nearby village. Rescue work continued on Friday afternoon (local time). Authorities said they want to investigate the incident.
Frequently fatal accidents occur on often fully occupied boats on the rivers of the country of 170 million people. According to experts, this is mainly due to poor security standards.
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