The death toll from deadly launch fire off the coast of Jhalakathi on December 24 rose to 48 on Sunday, as an 8-year-old admitted with over 30 percent burns succumbed to his injuries at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Tamim was kept on life support at the institute's intensive care unit (ICU) as his trachea got damaged. He expired at around 5:50 pm, said Resident Surgeon Dr SM Ayub Hossain. The toll reached 47 on Wednesday with the death of another 45-year-old at the institute. The deceased was identified as Shahinur, who suffered 40 per cent burns from the fire, said the hospital authority. Also read: Marine Court sends two drivers of MV Abhijan-10 launch to jail According to a list maintained by Red Crescent Bangladesh's Jhalakathi district office, at least 58 were still missing as of Wednesday. On Tuesday, the police control room set up at the launch terminal provided information about 41 missing passengers, said Md Salauddin, a sub-inspector at Jhalakathi Sadar Police Station. On Sunday, Dhaka Marine Court ordered to send the two drivers of the MV Abhijan-10 launch to jail in a case related to last month’s deadly fire. They are - the 8th accused in the case Abul Kalam ( in-charge driver) and the 7th accused Masum Billah (2nd driver). Also read: Launch tragedy: Probe committee gets 3 more days to submit report Earlier 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 that 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. 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 arrest warrants against the accused. The worst launch fire in memory occurred in the early hours of December 24 on Sugandha river off Jhalakathi town as Abhijan-10 packed with more than 800 passengers was on the way to Barguna from Dhaka.

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.