The namaz-e-janaza of 30 people, who were killed in a massive fire that swept through a crowded launch near Jhalakathi in the early hours of Friday, was held in Barguna district on Saturday morning, reports UNB.
The namaz-e-janaza was held at Barguna Circuit House around 11:00am. Several hundred people joined the janaza.
The local administration has taken steps to bury the deceased at Potkakhali graveyard in Sadar upazila.
Barguna deputy commissioner Habibur Rahman said, “We’ve received 37 bodies on Friday night from Jhalakathi General Hospital. Bodies of seven people were handed over to the families of the victims on Saturday.”
The authorities concerned have collected the DNA samples of the deceased. However, it is still not clear how many people are still missing, he said.
A control room has been opened to collect information of the missing people and the family members of the missing people have been asked to provide necessary assistance to the local administration.
“The identities of the missing people will be known within one or two days,” hoped the deputy commissioner.
Meanwhile, relatives and family members of the missing people have thronged the Sadar Hospital with the images of their dear ones to identify the bodies.
The local administration kept the morgue open till 10:00am to let the relatives of the victims to identify the bodies.
Meanwhile, the divers from local fire service and coast guard started a rescue operation around 9:00am on Saturday in the Sugandha river.
At least 39 passengers were killed and over 70 others injured after a massive fire broke out in the engine room of a launch in the middle of Sugandha river off the coast of Jhalakathi sadar upazila.
Two of the deceased, Taifa, 7, and Labiba, 4, who were injured in the fire, died on their way to Dhaka on Friday.
The blaze broke out at around 3:00am on the Barguna-bound Avijan-10 launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes.
Besides, another victim, who was undergoing treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, succumbed to his injuries on Friday night, taking the total death toll to 40.
Earlier on Friday, the government announced Tk 150,000 as compensation to the families of each victim who lost their lives in the deadly fire.
Expressing profound shock and sorrow at the loss of lives and injuries in the MV Avijan-10 launch fire, prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday directed the authorities concerned to ensure quick treatment of the injured and hand over the bodies to their relatives promptly.
She prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members, and the quick recovery of the injured.
The government on Friday set up a seven-member committee to probe the launch fire.
Joint secretary of the shipping ministry Tofayel Ahmed has been made the probe panel’s convener, while deputy secretary Aminur Rahman will act as its member secretary, according to a notification issued by the ministry.
The committee has been asked to submit a report to the shipping ministry within three working days, it said.