Ten people were killed and six injured in a fire that destroyed Tuptup Resto and Resort in the Patuartek beach area of Inani, Cox’s Bazar, on Saturday morning, with fears that the death toll could rise.
The fire broke out around 7am at the two-storey wooden structure along Marine Drive, leaving the resort in ruins.
Syed Morshed Hossain, deputy assistant director of the Cox’s Bazar Fire Service, confirmed that four additional bodies were recovered around 1:50pm, taking the death toll to 10. The four victims had yet to be identified.
Six of the deceased were identified as Israt Jahan Maliha, 30, and Milita Mehejabin Alvi, 23, from Banasree in Dhaka; Laila Jahan Nabila, 27, and Nafista Mim, 27, from Khilgaon in Dhaka; and Fariha Kabi, 33, and Faizan Ahmed, 5, from Chuadanga.
Fire Service and Civil Defence officials said rescue operations were continuing, and the death toll could rise as some people might still be trapped inside the building.
Special Superintendent of Police Md Abul Kalam Azad of CID Cox’s Bazar said reports suggested that people could still be inside a room.
The six injured people were taken to Cox’s Bazar 250-Bed District Sadar Hospital. They were identified as Shihab Uddin, 31, a physician at Mugda Medical College Hospital; his wife, Nafiza Newaz Khan, 29; Mannan, 34; Meherunnesa, 30; Masud, 30; and Samida, 32.
The hospital’s resident medical officer, Sabuqtagin Mahmud Sohel, said five of the injured had burns covering around 5% of their bodies and had been admitted for treatment. The sixth person, who sustained injuries after falling, was discharged following primary treatment.
Fire Service officials said three units began operations at the scene around 8am and brought the fire under control by approximately 10am. The blaze was fully extinguished around 11am.
Brigadier General Sultanul Afrain Zunaid, chief of the Fire Service, said the resort did not have a fire safety licence. He added that the establishment had been warned about its lack of compliance in June, according to Jamuna TV.
Following the incident, a five-member probe committee was formed to investigate the cause and circumstances of the fire.
Border Guard Bangladesh personnel, police, Coast Guard members, the local administration and emergency responders assisted in rescue operations and provided support, according to a BGB statement cited by BSS.
Nearly 30 people were reportedly staying at the resort when the fire broke out. Four to five people managed to escape, while the whereabouts and condition of some others remained uncertain.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md A Mannan earlier said six bodies had been recovered and six injured people had been taken to the district sadar hospital. The cause of the fire had not been determined, he said.
Resort representatives reportedly fled the scene following the incident.
Videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing the resort as thick, dark smoke billowed from the structure. Distressed onlookers gathered along the roadside as emergency crews arrived to tackle the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
