At least 38 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in a fire that broke out last night (Friday) on a ferry sailing in the Shuganda River in southern Bangladesh.
According to Zohour Ali, director of the Jalakati district where the fire occurred, the death toll could rise to more than 50, as there are still missing passengers and there are many injured whose condition is human.
Survivors of the ferry that caught fire in Bangladesh receive treatment at a local hospital, Photo: AP
A senior firefighter in the district where the fire occurred said it broke out in the engine room of the ferry, which had about 800 passengers making their way from the capital Dhaka to Bargona, around 3am (local time).
Following the fire, many passengers jumped from the vessel into the water to sail to the nearby shore, but some drowned to death in an attempt to escape the fire.
Local police have opened an investigation into the incident, and have yet to decipher what caused the fire to ignite.
The ferry caught fire in Bangladesh, in a fire that caused at least 38 deaths, Photo: AFP
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