Smoke was still rising from the debris of Tuptup Resto and Resort beside Patwartek beach in Inani, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, 24 hours after a devastating fire killed 10 people.
During a visit to the site, smoke was still visible coming from the ruins after 10:00 am on Sunday, October 18.
Local resident Fazal Kader said the incident was deeply distressing.
“It is a very tragic incident. I could not sleep all night. I came here in the morning and saw that smoke was still rising,” he said.
The fire broke out at around 7:00 am on Saturday, October 17, killing 10 people. The district administration has formed a five-member committee to investigate how the fire started and why it spread so quickly through the wooden resort.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abul Mannan said the committee, headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner Tasnim Jahan, had been asked to submit its report within five working days. Representatives from the Fire Service, Ukhiya upazila administration and police will serve on the committee.
All 10 bodies have been recovered, and nine victims have been identified. They are Israt Jahan Maliha, 30, of Banasree in Dhaka; Milita Mehezabin Alvi, 23; Laila Jahan Nabila, 27; Faizan Ahmed, five; Sabrin, 23; Jerif, 18; Nafista Mim, 27; Nasrin Akter Mukta, 29; and Faria Kabir, 33. The identity of the remaining victim was not immediately known.
At least seven people were injured in the incident. They included physician Shihab Uddin, 31; his wife, Nafiza Newaz Khan, 29; Mannan, 34; Meherunnesa, 30; Masud, 30; and Samida, 32.
Dr Subuktogin Mahmud Sohel, residential medical officer at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, said five patients had burns covering around five per cent of their bodies and were being treated as inpatients. Another person had received treatment in the outpatient department.
Meanwhile, police have filed a case over the fire, naming resort owner Tanvir as the prime accused. Ukhiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman Majumder said police filed the case on Saturday night.
Police also named the resort’s manager, Mohammad Sumon, as an accused. The officer-in-charge did not disclose how many people were named in the case.
Syed Mohammad Morshed, deputy assistant director of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said strong sea winds had caused the flames to spread rapidly through the wooden structure.
He added that the district has more than 500 hotels, motels, and resorts, many of which operate without the mandatory fire safety licences.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: Tarekur Rahman
