What was originally intended as a tranquil weekend getaway along Cox’s Bazar’s scenic Marine Drive transformed into an unspeakable nightmare on Saturday morning.
A swift and devastating fire engulfed the all-wooden TupTup Resto & Resort on Patuartek Beach in Inani, leaving at least 10 tourists dead and six others hospitalised with serious injuries.
The inferno erupted around 7:25am, rapidly sweeping through the three-storey timber structure, heavily fueled by strong ocean winds. Within hours, the popular beachside retreat was reduced to smouldering ashes.
Among the deceased were six members of a single family from Dhaka who were scheduled to return home that very morning, including a Dhaka University student and a five-year-old child.
Ashiqul Islam, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, miraculously survived by jumping from the upper floor.
Firefighters, local volunteers, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel mounted emergency rescue operations to extinguish the blaze and retrieve victims.
Yet, behind this heartbreaking grief lies a damning story of administrative oversight and reckless corporate negligence. The Fire Service and Civil Defence confirmed that the establishment was operating without a fire safety licence.
Official inspectors had flagged the highly flammable wooden building as “hazardous” four months earlier in June, issuing a formal warning that was completely ignored by management.
Emergency responders discovered a total absence of rudimentary safety measures, including functional fire extinguishers or alarms.
As police detain the resort manager and district officials convene a five-member probe committee, the tragedy lays bare the perilous state of unchecked tourism expansion along the country’s coastline.
Until strict regulatory compliance is enforced, the shores of Inani will remain haunted by preventable loss.
