The death toll from the deadly Jhalakathi launch fire rose to 50, with another victim succumbing to her injuries at a hospital on Tuesday night. The deceased was identified as Manika Rani Haldar, an assistant teacher at Gagan Memorial High School. Manika, who had suffered 30% burns and was on life support in the intensive care unit of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, passed away around 9.30pm, said resident surgeon Dr SM Ayub Hossain. The toll reached 49 on January 3, with the death of another person, a 38-year-old, at the institute. Read: Jhalakathi launch fire: Probe body submits report The fire broke out on the Barguna-bound launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka, off the coast of Jhalakathi on December 24. On December 26, the chief inspector of the Department of Shipping, Shafiqur Rahman, filed a case against eight people, including four co-owners of the launch, under the Marine Act in the Marine Court.

The probe committee formed by the Shipping Ministry has submitted its report on the last month’s deadly launch fire on the Sugandha River. The probe committee submitted the report on Monday night, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury. “The report was submitted to the Shipping Secretary but he’s sick with Covid-19 infections. Now, I’ll go through the report. I’ll be able to say in detail once go through it,” said Khalid Mahmud. “As far as I know the negligence of owners, workers, and drivers of MV Avijan-10 launch was detected in the report. There were problems in the dockyard, too,” he added. Read: Jhalokathi civil surgeon made OSD over launch fire: Health Ministry The state minister said the engine had an issue for which the dockyard authorities are responsible. “Therefore, they’ll also be made accountable for the accident,” he added. Action will be taken against the owners and others who are responsible, warned Khalid Mahmud. Earlier on December 30, the probe committee was granted three additional days to complete its investigation. On December 24, the Shipping Ministry formed the seven-member probe committee, asking it to submit its report within three working days. But the deadline was missed. The confirmed death toll from the deadly fire on MV Avijan-10 rose to 49 on Monday. On Sunday, Dhaka Marine Court issued an order to send two drivers of the launch to jail in a case over the fire. They are the 8th accused in the case Abul Kalam (in-charge driver) and the 7th accused Masum Billah (2nd driver). On December 28, the same court sent the two masters of the launch  -- Riaz Sikder (master-in-charge) and the 6th accused Khalilur Rahman (2nd master) to jail when they surrendered before it. Advocate Billal Hossain, prosecuting officer of the Department of Shipping, said the overall responsibility of the engine room rests with the engine drivers. Not only did they neglect their responsibilities, their role in the aftermath of the fire was presumptuous. Read:Jhalakathi launch fire: Death toll rise to 49 The fire was initially reported to have started from the engine room, he said. If they had managed the engine room properly with perfect supervision, perhaps this horrible tragedy could have been averted, Adv Billal added. On December 26, the chief inspector of the Department of Shipping Shafiqur Rahman filed a case against eight people, including four owners of the launch, under the Marine Act with the Marine Court. The court took cognizance of the case and issued warrants for the arrest of the accused. The blaze broke out around 3am on December 24 on the Barguna-bound launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes.

The death toll from last month’s deadly launch fire in Jhalakathi district rose to 49 on Monday as another man succumbed to his injuries at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Also read: Launch fire tragedy: Another 8-year-old victim succumbs to injury Russel, 38, breathed his last at noon at the hospital, said Coordinator of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Dr Samanta Lal Sen. The fire broke out on the Barguna-bound launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes on December 24. Also read: Marine Court sends two drivers of MV Abhijan-10 launch to jail On December 26, the chief inspector of the Department of Shipping Shafiqur Rahman filed a case against eight people, including four owners of the launch, under the Marine Act with the Marine Court.

The death toll from the deadly fire in launch MV Avijan-10 in the Sugandha River near Jhalakathi rose to 42 with the recovery of another body from the Bishkhali River at Shachilapur in Jhalakathi district Monday morning. Deputy Commissioner of the district Md Zohar Ali said firefighters recovered the body from the river around 9 am after being informed by the local police. The deceased was identified as Hakim Sharif, 60, hailing from Barguna sadar upazila. Hakim’s cousin, Kohinur Begum, identified the body. Read: Launch fire: One owner held in Keraniganj Three of his family members -- wife Priya Begum, 55, daughter Hafsa,17, and son Nasir Ullah,2, -- with whom he was travelling to Barguna remained missing. However, Coast Guard members and firefighters continued their search operation in the Sugandha River for the 4th consecutive day on Monday. Meanwhile, the police control room set up at the launch terminal provided the information of 47 missing passengers so far, said Md Salauddin, sub-inspector of Jhalakathi Sadar police station. 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.

As rescuers continued search for the missing or dead from the launch fire in Sugandha River on the third day Sunday the authorities could not determine the exact number of people still unaccounted for. Until filing the report at 6 pm no new bodies were recovered from the river nor any missing passenger found as anxious families kept waiting for their loved ones at Municipal Mini Park and on the bank of the river. The Jhalakathi unit of the Red Crescent Society has collected a list of 51 people missing from the information provided by their family members, said Imran, a volunteer from the organization to UNB. Also read: Fire likely from engine room caused launch tragedy: Probe committee Meanwhile, the police control room set up at the launch terminal reported getting information of 47 missing passengers so far, said Md Salauddin, Sub-Inspector of Jhalakathi Sadar police station. The divers from local fire service and Coast Guard resumed the search operation on Sunday morning and it was suspended for the day in the evening, said Khalulur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station in Jhalakathi district. Meanwhile probe bodies formed by the Ministry of Shipping, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the district administration continued their investigation on Friday’s tragedy on MV Avijan-10 on its journey from Dhaka to Barguna. While visiting the spot Baharul Amin, director of the Barishal BIWTA and head of six-member probe body said, “There was not enough arrangement in the launch to extinguish fire.” He said most of the launches on Dhaka-Barishal route are luxurious but don’t have enough safety measures in the engine rooms. “If the launch was immediately moved to the shore after the fire broke out most of the lives lost could have been saved but the navigator did not do it,: said Lieutenant Colonel Zillur Rahman, director of Jhalakathi Fire Service and Civil Defence. Also read: MV Avijan-10 owner, 24 others sued over Jhalakathi launch fire  Earlier, joint secretary of the shipping ministry Tofayel Hossain and convener of the seven-member probe body formed by the government said they suspect the fire originated in the engine room of the launch. He said, “We are investigating the Jhalakathi launch fire incident closely and we have visited the launch several times. Primarily, we suspect that the fire erupted from the engine room and then spread across it for other reasons.” Earlier, in the day, a case was filed with Barguna Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against the owner of MV Avijan-10 Hamjalal Sheikh and 24 others in connection with the deadly fire in the launch that left 41 people dead and many more injured and missing. The blaze broke out at 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 incident climbed to 41 on Saturday night. Besides, over 70 people suffered injuries and many of them are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

The fire that broke out at the MV Avijan-10 launch leaving scores of people dead, many injured and missing on Sugandha river in Jhalakathi district is suspected to have originated from its engine room, the head of a shipping ministry probe committee said on Sunday after preliminary findings. “We are investigating the Jhalakathi launch fire incident closely and we have visited the launch several times. Primarily, we suspect that the fire erupted from the engine room and then spread across it for other reasons,” said Tofayel Hossain, who is the joint secretary of the shipping ministry. Tofayel was talking to reporters after interviewing several eye witnesses of the tragedy at Barguna Circuit House. “The probe is still going on so we can’t provide any concrete information now. But we are trying our best to unearth the reason,” he said. So far, we failed to talk to any staff of the launch, he added. Earlier, in the day, a case was filed with Barguna Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against the owner of MV Avijan-10 Hamjalal Sheikh and 24 others in connection with the deadly fire in the launch that left 41 people dead and many more injured and missing. Advocate Nazmul Islam Nasir, chairman of Baliatoli union parisahd of Barguna district, filed the case with the court on Sunday. Barguna Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Mahbub Alam accepted the case and asked the police station concerned to take the complaint as a ‘First Information Report (FIR)’, said administrative official of the court Akhter Hossain. Meanwhile, the search drive in the Sugandha River was going on for the 3rd consecutive day on Sunday for tracing those who went missing following the massive fire on Friday. The divers from local fire service and Coast Guard resumed the search operation on Saturday morning and it is still continuing, said Khalulur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station in Jhalakathi district. “No new body was recovered from the river till the filing of this report around 11 am,” he said. Besides, the control room, set up by the local administration, listed the names of 25 missing people with information given by their relatives and family members. Earlier, the bodies of 23 people were buried in a mass graveyard following a namaz-e-janaza in Barguna on Saturday. The bodies were buried at Potkakhali mass graveyard in Sadar upazila around 12 pm. The blaze broke out at 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 incident climbed to 41 on Saturday night. Besides, over 70 people suffered injuries and many of them are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

The death toll from the massive fire that broke out from the engine room of the launch in the middle of the Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalakathi Sadar Upazila rose to 41, after another body was recovered on Saturday morning. Fire Service members recovered the body about one kilometer away from where the accident took place. The victim was identified as Monwar Begum (55) hailing from Bishurbandho village in Faridganj upazila of Chandpur. Read: Launch fire tragedy: Probe body visits spot Her husband Billal Hossain,60, and daughter Amena Akhter , 14, were burnt in the accident and are undergoing treatment at Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Hospital.

The bodies of 33 people, who were killed in a massive fire that swept through a crowded launch near Jhalakathi in the early hours of Friday, reached Barguna at night. At around 11:15pm, the corpses were transported to Barguna Sadar Hospital by a truck of Jhalakathi municipality, Barguna Deputy Commissioner Habibur Rahman told UNB. Many people thronged the hospital with heavy hearts because their family members were either missing or deceased. Volunteers unloaded the bodies from the vehicle and lined them up. The lamentations of the deceased's relatives filled the air at that time. Also read: 37 dead as launch catches fire off Jhalokati coast The unidentified bodies will be buried at Potkakhali graveyard after DNA samples are collected from them, Habibur said. The accident left at least 39 people charred to death and 72 injured. Also read: Fire at Rangpur Medical College & Hospital under control; 5 hurt The blaze broke out around 3am on Avijan-10, which was carrying around 800 passengers, in the midstream of the River Sugandha off the coast of Jhalakathi district's Sadar upazila. Within five to 10 minutes, the flames engulfed the vessel.