At least 10 tourists died in a fire that gutted TupTup Resto & Resort in Inani, Cox’s Bazar, on Saturday morning.
The Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters confirmed the deaths.
Six of the deceased have been identified as Israt Jahan Maliha, 30, and Milita Mehejabin Alvi, 23, of the Banasree area in Dhaka; Laila Jahan Nabila, 27, and Nafista Mim, 27, of Dhaka’s Khilgaon; and Fariha Kabir, 33, and five-year-old Faizan Ahmed of Chuadanga.
Several others suffered burn injuries in the incident. They were admitted to a local hospital and Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, said Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan.
Rescue workers are searching the debris to determine whether anyone else remains trapped underneath. Authorities fear the number of casualties could rise.
Meanwhile, members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have joined the Fire Service in assisting with the rescue operation.
The fire broke out around 7am at the resort near Patuartek Beach along Marine Drive. The blaze was fully extinguished around 11am.
Identities of the deceased and missing could not be immediately confirmed.
Firefighters began operations around 8am and brought the blaze under control by approximately 10am.
Rimon Ghosh, in-charge of the Inani Police Outpost, said that police rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the fire and joined the Fire Service in the rescue operation.
Earlier, Dolon Acharje, a senior Fire Service official who was at the scene, said that all the deceased were initially believed to be tourists, but their identities had not been confirmed.
The fire is suspected to have originated from an explosion of an LPG gas cylinder used in the resort’s restaurant.
Meanwhile, DC Mannan visited the scene and said a decision had been taken to form a five-member investigation committee, headed by the additional district magistrate, to determine the cause of the fire.
Additional Superintendent of Police Md Rakibul Hasan said, “Efforts are being made to contact the resort authorities to obtain detailed information about the tourists.”
Local journalist Shamimul Islam Faisal, who witnessed the incident, said the fire broke out suddenly at the resort in the early hours of the morning. Firefighters rushed to the scene after being alerted and brought the blaze under control.
Four units of the Fire Service worked to extinguish the fire, while members of the BGB, SRB and police also took part in the rescue operation.
Irene Jahan Mim, who had travelled to Cox’s Bazar from Savar, said she and two of her friends had come to the seaside town during the Durga Puja holidays. They checked into the resort on Friday.
“We went to the beach early on Saturday morning, while our other friend, Nasrin Akter, remained in the hotel room,” she said.
Irene added, “A short while later, we saw from the beach that our hotel had caught fire. After a loud explosion, flames spread throughout the entire hotel. We have not been able to find any trace of our friend who was staying in the hotel.”
Missing Nasrin Akter is a teacher at a kindergarten school in Savar.
Panna Akter, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Ukhiya, said there were 18 tourists staying at the resort.
