At least 32 people died on Friday (December 24) in a ferry fire on a river in southern Bangladesh, police said.
“The three-story Obhijan 10 caught fire in the middle of the river. We recovered 32 bodies. The toll could grow heavier. Most died in the fire and a few drowned after jumping into the river ”local police chief Moinul Islam told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Series of disasters
The drama took place early in the morning near the town of Jhalokathi, 250 km south of the capital Dhaka.
The accident is the latest in a series of similar disasters in the low-lying country located around a delta formed by many rivers. Experts in this country of 170 million inhabitants in South Asia point to the lack of maintenance, lax safety standards and saturation of ferries.