Police and an investigation committee suspect an electrical short circuit in a ground-floor refrigerator sparked the fire at Tuptup Resort in Patuartek, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, on October 17. A gas cylinder in the kitchen reportedly exploded later.
Investigators believe flammable chemicals stored in a warehouse and the resort’s wooden structure helped the fire spread rapidly.
The three-story resort caught fire on the morning of October 17, killing 10 tourists. Guests were staying in eight rooms on the second and third floors, while the ground floor housed a restaurant and staff accommodation.
Ukhiya Police Station officer-in-charge Atikur Rahman said initial findings and the questioning of the arrested assistant manager suggested that the fire began with a short circuit in the refrigerator before spreading and triggering a gas cylinder explosion. However, the type of chemicals stored in the warehouse has not yet been established.
Rimon Ghosh, the sub-inspector investigating the case, said investigators had received conflicting accounts of the fire’s origin and that further investigation was needed to determine the actual cause.
The 10 people who died were identified as Israt Jahan Maliha, 30; Melita Mehezabin Alvi, 23, a student at East West University; Laila Jahan Nabila, 27, a student at Jagannath University; Nafista Mim, 27; Faria Kabir, 33, Nafiz’s elder sister; Faria’s five-year-old nephew, Faizan Ahmed; Nasrin Akter Mukta, 29, a teacher at Swapna Bilash School, a private educational institution in Savar, Dhaka; Dhaka University student Mohammad Nafis Tehami; Jihad Hawladar; and Tarikul Islam.
Resort owner and prime accused Mohammad Tanvir Sultan Mia has been absconding since the incident. An officer involved in the investigation said he was in Indonesia. Another owner, Newaz Morshed, and others are also reportedly in hiding.
Police have arrested assistant manager Zahid Hossain and sought a seven-day remand. The remand petition hearing has not yet taken place.
The resort operated under a trade license issued by Jaliapalong Union Parishad. However, after the fire, it emerged that the establishment lacked approvals from the Fire Service, the Department of Environment, or the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority. A district administration investigation committee has inspected the site.
Relatives’ accounts and the police estimate of how many people were at the resort when the fire broke out differ.
Relatives said 21 tourists were staying there. According to their account, 10 died, six were injured, two escaped by jumping, and one person remained missing.
OC Atikur Rahman, however, said 19 guests were staying in the resort’s eight rooms at the time. Of them, 10 died, seven were injured, and two escaped by jumping. He said the investigation found no evidence that any of the 19 guests were missing.
Tasneem Jahan, additional district magistrate and head of the district administration’s investigation committee, said concerns about another missing person arose after 10 bodies had been recovered.
Fire Service personnel later conducted another search but found no additional body. She added that the matter was being examined seriously.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: Courtesy
