Lagatar24 Desk
Dhaka, Dec.24: A packed ferry caught fire in southern Bangladesh on Friday, killing at least 32 people, according to police.
“The three-storey Obhijan 10 caught fire mid-river. We have recovered 32 bodies. The death count may rise. Most died from the fire and a few by drowning after they jumped into the river,” local police chief Moinul Islam told AFP.
The incident happened early in the morning, near the southern rural town of Jhakakathi, 250 kilometres south of the capital Dhaka.
The catastrophe was the latest in a series of such mishaps in the delta nation, which is crisscrossed by rivers.
Poor maintenance, inadequate safety regulations at shipyards, and overcrowding are the reasons behind such incidents according to the experts in the country of 170 million people.
