The death toll from Thursday’s MV Abhijan-10 launch fire in Jhalakathi rose to 47 with the recovery of two more bodies from the Sugandha River while another injured succumbed to her injuries at Sheikh Hasina Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery today.
The bodies of the unidentified people were fished out by firefighters from Charkathi of the estuary of Sugandha-Bishkhali River in the district around 9am, reports our Pirojpur correspondent quoting Md Shafiqul Islam, station officer of Jhalakathi Fire Service and Civil Defence.
The deceased are a man aged about 35 and a woman aged around 32, the fire service official said. Both the bodies were partially burned, added Shafiqul.
Meanwhile, a woman, Shahinur Akhter (45), of Betagi upazila of Barguna, succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of Sheikh Hasina Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery this evening, Dr Samanta Lal Sen, SHIBPS chief coordinator told The Daily Star tonight.
At least 25 percent of her body was burnt in the fire, said the physician.
Her husband Bachchu Miah (52), her daughter, Israt Jahan Sadia (21), and her son Saifullah Mansur Sadik (16) were also burnt in the fire.
Her son, Sadik, received primary treatment while Bachchu with 4 percent and her daughter with 20 percent burn injuries were still undergoing treatment at the SHIBPS.
Coast Guard members and firefighters continued their search operation in the river for the sixth day in a row.
The police control room set up at the launch terminal provided information about 41 missing passengers, Md Salauddin, sub-inspector of Jhalakathi Sadar Police Station, said on Tuesday.
The blaze broke out around 3am on Friday on the Barguna-bound launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes.
The death toll from the fire had climbed to 44 yesterday. Besides, over 70 people suffered injuries, and many of them are currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals.
