The probe body, formed by the Shipping Ministry to investigate the launch inferno in the Sugandha River in Jhalakathi, has found faults in the engine of the passenger vessel MV Abhijan-10.
The seven-member investigation team visited the spot on Sunday (December 26) and primarily found the problems in the engine.
Md Tofayel Islam, head of the investigation team, said, “We are investigating the incident closely and we have visited the launch several times. We have found some defects in the engine of MV Abhijan-10 and are now matching information with other committee members. Primarily, we suspect that the fire erupted from the engine room and then spread across it for other reasons.”
Talking to journalists at Barguna Circuit House, Tofayel Ahmed, also a joint secretary of the shipping ministry, said that the investigation is going on. Nothing can be said for certain until it is over.
When asked about the possibilities of a gas cylinder explosion inside the launch’s kitchen, he said that the gas cylinder was found to be intact. There would have been loud noises and the kitchen and its surroundings completely destroyed if it had exploded. However, nothing such happened, he added.
“Besides, we have interviewed eyewitnesses and locals. They couldn’t provide any information supporting the gas cylinder explosion theory,” Tofayel Ahmed said.
The probe body head also said that someone else was operating launch instead of the designated master during the incident. “We have also learned that the launch collided with the shore on its way. We will speak with the victims in Barguna. This will hopefully help us to come to a conclusion fast,” he said.
At least 41 passengers were burned to death and 72 others were injured after a massive fire broke out in the engine room of the launch in the middle of Sugandha River off the coast of Jhalakathi Sadar Upazila early on Friday.
The blaze broke out at 3:00 am on the Barguna-bound Abhijan-10 launch carrying around 1,000 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes.
A BIWTA source said that the launch was supposed to have two first class masters but it had two-second class masters on board.
Meanwhile, a fire service official said that the launch did not have a proper fire extinguishing system which led to a large number of fatalities.