Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested Hamjalal Sheikh, one of the owners of launch MV ‘Avijan-10’, in connection with the deadly fire incident in the launch that left 41 people dead and many more injured. ANM Imran Khan, Assistant Director (ASP) of Legal and Media Wing of Rab, said Hamjalal was held from Keraniganj early Monday. Read: Arrest warrant issued against 8 including owners of MV Avijan-10 His arrest followed Dhaka Marine Court’s warrants for the arrest of four owners and four master drivers of the launch as a case filed by the Department of Shipping. The accused in the case are four owners of the launch company, ‘Messars Al Araf and Company’, Md Hamjalal Sheikh, Md Shamim Ahmed, Md Rasel Ahmed, and Ferdous Hasan Rabby, in-charge master of Avijan-10 Md Riaz Sikder, in-charge driver Masum Billah, second master Khalilur Rahman, second driver Abul Kalam.

The government on Friday announced Tk 1.5 lakh to be provided to the family of each deceased in the fire on the ‘Avijan-10’ launch. Besides, the arrangement of the treatment for injured will be ensured, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said this while visiting the gutted launch at Jhalokathi on  Friday. Read: Jhalakathi launch fire: PM orders prompt, proper treatment of injured This financial assistance will be provided from the Shipping Ministry and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), said the Deputy Director of Public Relations of BITWA. Earlier, the state minister visited the injured in the launch fire at Jhalokathi Hospital and inquired about their treatment. On his way from Dhaka to Jhalokathi,  minister went to visit the injured in the launch fire at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital in Barishal at noon. Meanwhile, the Shipping Ministry and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority have formed two separate committees to probe the fire. The ministry panel has been asked to submit its report within three days. Read: Govt forms panel to probe launch fire, report in 3 days At least 39 people were charred to death and 72 others injured in a major fire that ripped through a launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka to Barguna in the early hours of Friday. The blaze  on board the three-storey Avijan-10 in the middle of the Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalokati district's Sadar upazila, 250kms south of Dhaka, around 3am. Within five to 10 minutes, the flames engulfed the vessel.

The deadly fire on Avijan-10 running from Dhaka to Barguna on Friday was caused by an explosion, the owner said denying mechabical faults. The launch caught fire after in the middle of the Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalokati district's Sadar upazila, leaving dozens dead and many missing. Contacted on Friday noon, Hum Jalal Sheikh, the owner of the gutted vessel, told UNB that Anwar, one of the supervisors of the launch, informed him about the fire around 3am. Read: Govt forms panel to probe launch fire, report in 3 days Quoting Supervisor Anwar, Hum Jalal said there was an explosion on the second floor, followed by a fire that spread in the cabins of the third floor and the ground floor in the rear of the launch. However, it was not known yet how the fire started. In response to a question about mechanical faults, Jalal said that the launch had at least 21 fire extinguishers, but the fire spread so fast that there was no time to use them. Claiming that there was no mechanical fault in the launch, he said that if the engine caught fire, the fire would never spread to the whole ship. The fire spread from the second floor to the engine and the cabin following an explosion. Jalal owns MV Avijan-10, 3 and 5 launches. "I don't have any insurance for launch," he said. Meanwhile, the Shipping Ministry and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority have formed two separate committees to probe the fire. The ministry panel has been asked to submit its report within three days. At least 39 people were charred to death and 72 others injured in the blaze that ripped through the launch carrying some 800 passengers . The blaze broke out on board the three-storey launch in the middle of the Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalokathi. "We were alerted around 3.30am," Fazlul Haque of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Barishal, told UNB. However, due to dense fog in the area, the first firefighting vessels took some time to reach the ill-fated launch. “Some 37 bodies have been recovered and 72 people rescued from the ill-fated launch," Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Jhalokathi Moinul Haque told UNB. Of the 37 bodies, four were identified and the remaining 33 bodies were sent to Jhalokathi Sadar Hospital Morgue, said the ASP. Read: 39 killed as fire rips through launch off Jhalokati coast Of the 72 injured, some 66 with serious burns have been admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) in Barisal. The others are being treated at Jhalokathi Sadar Hospital. "Of the 66 with up to 50% burns, 18 are women," said Dr Moniruzzaman, assistant director at SBMCH. "Three women and four men with life-threatening burns have been referred to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital as we've no dedicated burn unit." However, UNB Barishal correspondent reported that two of the injured succumbed to burn injuries on the way to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. "Jhalokathi’s local firefighters initially tried to douse the flames and later the Barishal fire service joined them," said Kamal Uddin, Deputy Director (Barishal division) of Fire Service and Civil Defence. Eventually, some 15 fire tenders took nearly two hours to bring the blaze under control, at 5.20am. "The fire was completely doused around 11.30am," said Kamal.