Launch fire: rights groups demand punishment for those responsible
The incident, which claimed 41 lives, took place around 3 am Friday
Human rights organisations have called on the authorities to bring the people responsible for the fire incident in Barguna-bound passenger launch "MV Abhijan-10", which claimed at least 41 lives.
Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) called for a fair investigation into the fire incident and urged the authorities to compensate the victims. The Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and The National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh made similar calls in separate statements on Saturday.
The incident took place around 3 am Friday, when the launch was on the River Sugandha in Jhalakathi on its way to Barguna from Dhaka.
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BLAST, in their statement, said the incident of launch-capsize and fire leading to causalities tantamount to violations of Inland Shipping Ordinance 1976 by the vessel owner, operator and supervisory authority.
The fire incident at Abhijan-10 violated Section 57 of the Shipping Ordinance, which protect against explosions, fires, etc.
Therefore, BLAST is demanding a proper investigation into the incident, publication of investigation report, appropriate punishment of those responsible and compensations for the victims, the statement read.
ASK, in their statement, said the real cause of the fire must be found and accountability must be ensured.
Quoting media reports, it further said, the launch had an engine malfunction, ignoring which the launch was moving at a reckless speed. Attempts were made to repair the engine while the launch, loaded with passengers, was running, causing the engine to catch fire as it could not take the pressure.
It is alleged that the crew made no effort to extinguish the fire leaving the passengers in danger. Simply to make extra profits, the launch owners run the launch in only two shifts a day, resulting in more passenger pressure on the vessels. In prior incidents it was observed that faulty vessels caused massive loss of life due to a launch sinking while carrying extra passengers, the statement read.
