At least 40 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in a fire that broke out in a launch named “MV Abhijan” in Sugandha river on the way to Barguna from Dhaka via Jhalakati with about 800 passengers including women, children and old people. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) is deeply saddened by this incident. At the same time, it strongly demands to ensure accountability and find the real cause of the fire through proper investigation.

According to media reports, the launch had an engine malfunction, ignoring which the launch was run at a reckless speed. Attempts were made to repair the engine while the launch was packed with passengers, causing the engine to catch fire failing to take the load. It has been also alleged that the launch crew escaped without any effort to extinguish it while the fire broke out. The launch owners operate in two shifts for the lust of gaining extra profit which results in overcrowding of the passengers. In the past, it has been observed that faulty launch overcrowded with passengers resulted in launch capsize which caused massive loss of life. However, this is the first case of launch fire accident. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the real cause of the incident and take appropriate action to ascertain whether the launch had the necessary approval to operate with fitness.

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) demands to undertake proper investigation into the cause of the fire, making public the investigation report along with scrutinising the role of the owners, take legal action against those responsible and provide adequate compensation to the victims.

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