A merry journey home to visit loved ones turned into a nightmare for many passengers on the Barguna-bound launch MV Obhijan when it caught fire on the Sugandha River in Jhalakathi early on Friday.
Family members of several passengers were still frantically searching for them in the day, as many victims remain missing while others were burned beyond recognition. At least 40 deaths had been confirmed while more than 70 people were undergoing treatment at various hospitals on Friday evening.
Sumon, one such family member, was seen running from corner to corner at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital in search of his wife Tasima Begum and their three children. He had lived in Dhaka for a long time and recently returned to his village home in Barguna.
Sumon’s wife and children were on the launch as they were going to join him in Barguna, so that they could all live together in the house that he had just completed building. Now, his dreams lie in tatters as he has no idea if any of his family survived the blaze.
“My family was travelling with one Amena Begum. She told me she could not breathe because of the thick smoke and jumped off the launch. She managed to reach the river bank, but she does not know what happened to my family,” Sumon said.
Sumon rushed to the accident site first and then to Jhalakathi Hospital, where the bodies of the deceased were being kept. When he could not find them at either of the places, he decided to visit Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
With no clue about where to look next, Sumon can now do nothing but wait.
Many other families also thronged the halls of Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital with heavy hearts because their family members were either missing, deceased, or fighting for survival.
Jasmin buried her grandmother just a few days ago and was returning home with her children on the Barguna-bound launch. All of them managed to escape but suffered serious burn injuries.
Jasmin has 12% burn injuries, her son Tamim 30%, and her 7-year-old daughter Mahinur has burns on almost her entire body.
Hossain Al Mujahid, UNO of Barguna’s Patharghata upazila, was among the hundreds of people on board the launch when it caught fire. He was travelling with his wife Ummul Wara.
In a desperate bid to save their lives, Mujahid and his wife jumped into the river from the third floor of the launch. The UNO managed to escape any injuries, but his wife's leg was fractured.
Halima Begum, who was on the launch with her father and mother, told media that she floated for two hours with her mother.
“I could not see anything because of the heavy fog. My mother and I survived, but I lost my father forever,” she said.
Moyful Bibi, Halima’s mother, said she and her husband took a launch trip home after a very long time. Little did she know that it would be her last trip with her husband.
“We went to see our daughter and took the launch on our way back home. I will go home but my husband won’t be there,” she said.
