Police file case against 23, including resort owner; manager arrested

Police have filed a case against 23 people over a fire at Tuptup Resort in Patuartek, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. The resort’s owner, Md Tanvir, has been named as the prime accused. The case was filed late Saturday night by Ashis Sutradhar, a sub-inspector of Ukhiya Police Station.

Ukhiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman Majumder confirmed the case on Sunday morning. He said four people had been named in the case, including resort owner Md Tanvir and Newaz Morshed. The remaining accused are unidentified.

Resort manager Zahidul Islam, also known as Sumon, was detained at the scene on Saturday afternoon and has since been shown arrested in the case.

Police have yet to determine how the fire started. Cox’s Bazar Superintendent of Police ANM Sajedur Rahman said on Sunday morning that no definitive statement could be made about the cause until the investigation was complete. The investigation would establish how the fire began, he said.

According to local residents, the fire broke out at the resort, which is located beside the Marine Drive road, at around 7:30 am on Saturday. Fire service personnel arrived after receiving the alert. Local residents then joined the efforts to contain the blaze and rescue people, with assistance from police.

Mohammad Taufiqul Islam Bhuiyan, deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence in Chattogram division, said Cox’s Bazar Fire Service received the report of the fire at 7:23 am. Firefighters reached the scene at around 8:00 am, and the blaze was brought under control at 8:15 am.

Of the 10 people killed in the fire, four died in two toilets on the resort’s second floor, he said.

Taufiqul Islam Bhuiyan said strong sea winds caused the fire to spread rapidly through the wooden resort. Such establishments should have portable fire extinguishers, fire alarms, hosepipes and a fire safety plan. But, the resort had none of these facilities. It also lacked a fire safety licence.

The resort had been built only seven to eight months earlier. There was also a dispute over ownership of the land, he said.

Subaktagin Mahmud Sohel, resident medical officer at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, said the identities of six of the 10 victims had been provisionally established. However, authorities had not yet confirmed which body belonged to which victim.

The deceased include Israt Jahan, 30, and Milita Mehezabin, 23, from Dhaka’s Banasree; Laila Jahan, 27, and Nafista Mim, 27, from Khilgaon; Fariha Kabir, 33, from Chuadanga; and five-year-old Faizan Ahmed.

The identities of the other four victims remain unknown. They include two women, one child and one man.