Cox’s Bazar: Smoke was still rising from the ruins of Tuptup Resort near Patuartek Beach in Inani, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, on Sunday morning, 24 hours after a fire killed 10 people at the wooden resort.
A visit to the site on Sunday found smoke coming from the fire-ravaged structure even after 10:00 am.
‘It is a very sad incident. I could not sleep all night. I came here in the morning and saw that smoke was still coming out,’ local resident Fazal Kader said.
The fire broke out at around 7:00 am on Saturday, killing 10 people. The district administration has formed a five-member committee to investigate the cause of the fire and how it spread so quickly through the wooden resort.
Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner Md A Mannan said the committee, headed by additional district magistrate Tasnim Jahan, was asked to submit its report within five working days.
Representatives of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, Ukhiya upazila administration and police are among its members.
All 10 bodies have been recovered, and nine victims have been identified.
At least seven people were injured in the fire.
Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital resident medical officer Dr Subuktagin Mahmud Sohel said five people had burns covering about five per cent of their bodies and were admitted to the hospital. Another person received treatment at the outpatient department.
Meanwhile, police filed a case over the fire on Saturday night, naming resort owner Tanvir as the prime accused, said Ukhiya Police Station officer-in-charge Atikur Rahman Majumder.
The resort’s manager, Mohammad Sumon, has also been named in the case. The officer-in-charge, however, did not disclose the total number of accused.
Syed Mohammad Morshed, assistant director of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said strong winds from the sea had helped the fire spread rapidly through the wooden resort.
He said the district had more than 500 hotels, motels and resorts, many of which were operating without the required fire safety licences.
