An eight-member probe committee has been formed to investigate the fire in two ships carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at Kutubdia point of the Bay of Bengal that occurred early Sunday, officials said. The Chittagong Port Authority formed the committee following the directive of Shipping and Textiles Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain. Commodore M Fazlar Rahman, a member of the Chittagong Port Authority (Harbor and Marine), will lead the investigation committee. Other members are Captain Md Faridul Alam, Deputy Conservator at Chittagong Port; Navy Commander Rafiqul Islam; Coast Guard Lt Commander Md Rakibul Islam Tanveer; Lt Md Noor Ashraful Aziz from DGFI; a designated representative from NSI; a designated representative from the Fire Service & Civil Defence; and Captain Sayed Ahmed, Controller of the Maritime Education (CC) Directorate of Shipping in Chittagong. 31 rescued after fire breaks out on LNG-carrying vessel off Ctg port The committee has been tasked to submit its report within the next five working days. Its objectives include determining the cause of the fire in MT Captain Nicholas and B-LPG Sofia, assessing the international standards for LPG transportation, assessing the suitability of the transported LPG, determining damages and liability arising from the incident, and formulating recommendations to prevent similar accidents in the future. The committee may also review any related matters and submit its findings. Earlier, the "B-LPG Sofia" lighter vessel caught fire after an explosion when it was at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port around 1am. Later, members of the Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy rescued 31 people from the vessel. The Shipping Adviser has expressed deep concern over the recent incidents of fires on ships and has instructed authorities to enhance security measures for vessels, emphasizing the need for maximum.

Two teachers died possibly from ‘heat stroke’ in Chattogram and Jashore districts on Sunday (April 28, 2024) morning when sever heat wave is scorching the country. In Chattogram, madasha teacher Maulana Md. Mostak Ahmed Kutubi Alkaderi, 55, fell unconscious while going to his workplacefrom his home in the Mohra area of Chandgaon. Kutubi Alkaderi, son of late Khalilur Rahman of Kutubdia Lemshikhali in Cox's Bazar district and father of  two sons and one daughter, used to work at Khitapchar Azizia Mabudia Alim Madrasha in Boalkhali upazila of Chattogram. Woman, 2 children electrocuted in Barishal Witnesses said when the madrasha teacher boarded the ferry at Kalurghat around 9am suddenly he collapsed. Later, he was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where doctors declared him dead. In Jashore, Ahsan Habib, an assistant teacher of Ahmedabad High School, died from apparent heat stroke on Sunday in sadar upazila. AZM Parvez Masud, headmaster of the school, said Habib fell sick around 9 am when he went to school after working in a field. Two children drown in Rajshahi pond   Later, he was taken to Jashore General Hospital, where a doctor declared him dead. The body was kept at Jashore General Hospital morgue for autopsy, said Abdur Razzak, officer-in-charge of Jashore Kotwali Police Station. The reason behind the death will be known after autopsy, he said.

Fourteen fishermen sustained burn injuries as a gas cylinder exploded on a fishing trawler in the Bay of Bengal near Kutubdia in Cox's Bazar on Saturday night. Locals said the blaze started from the spark of the engine and spread quickly fuelled by on-board oil near Dakshin Dhurung Bazar while the trawler ‘FB Mayer Doya’ was returning from the sea around 10 pm. At this time, the gas cylinder exploded leaving the 14 fishermen burnt seriously. The injured were taken to Kutubdia Upazila Health Complex and six people were released with first aid. Read:Trader dies as gas cylinder fell on him at Sitakundu shipyard Eight injured were later shifted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital. Kutubdia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Omar Haider said the local chairman has been directed to send the list of affected families in this incident.