Death toll in massive Bangladesh ferry fire rises to 40

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladeshi authorities buried 23 unclaimed bodies connected Saturday aft a day-long hunt failed to retrieve much victims oregon survivors of a monolithic occurrence connected a crowded stream ferry that near 40 radical dead.

Habibur Rahman, a apical authorities official, said helium had an incomplete database of 17 missing radical who were connected committee the ferry connected Friday erstwhile the occurrence awoke passengers astir 3 a.m., forcing galore to leap into acold waters and aquatics ashore.

Divers looked for much survivors earlier suspending their efforts astatine sunset connected Saturday.

Rahman said 50 radical were being treated successful 2 hospitals, portion 19 others person been sent home.

Dr. Samanta Lal Sen, main coordinator of the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute successful Dhaka, said his infirmary was treating 15 radical for superior burns. “I would accidental everyone is captious and nary 1 is retired of danger,” helium said.

Thirty-five injured successful different infirmary successful Barishal were retired of danger, said infirmary Director Dr. Saiful Isalm.

Investigators inspected the fire-ravaged ferry MV Abhijan-10, and 1 of them, Mohammed Tofayel Islam, said they recovered immoderate defects successful the motor room. “We’re trying to unearth different imaginable reasons,” helium said.

It took 15 occurrence engines respective hours to power the blaze and chill down the vessel, according to occurrence serviceman Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, who led the rescue operation. Afterward, the blackened hull of the ferry sat anchored astatine the river’s borderline portion galore anxious relatives gathered connected the banks.

The ferry was carrying immoderate 800 passengers, galore of whom were traveling to sojourn household and friends for the weekend, officials said.

Police serviceman Moinul Haque said rescuers recovered 37 bodies from the river, portion 2 radical died from burns connected the mode to the hospital. Another injured rider died overnight successful a Dhaka hospital.

The ferry was traveling from Dhaka to Barguna, astir 250 kilometers (155 miles) to the south. It caught occurrence disconnected the seashore of Jhalokati territory connected the Sugandha River, toward the extremity of the journey.

Ferries are a starring means of proscription successful Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by astir 130 rivers, and accidents involving the vessels are common, often blamed connected overcrowding oregon lax information rules. In April, 25 radical died aft a ferry collided with different vas and capsized extracurricular Dhaka.