At least 37 people have died after an overcrowded night ferry caught fire in southern Bangladesh on Friday.
The local police chief Moinul Islam confirmed the news of the tragedy on Friday, December 24.
According to Islam, the vessel caught fire on wee hours of Friday near the southern rural town of Jhalokati, 250km south of the capital, Dhaka. Despite having the official capacity of 310, there were at least 500 people at the time of the incident.
The blaze was believed to have originated in the engine room and then ripped through the ferry packed with people returning home from Dhaka, All Jazeera reported.
Most victims died from the fire and a few by drowning after many people jumped into the river.
Over 100 people with burn injuries have been sent to hospitals in Barisal for treatment.
The accident was the latest in a string of similar incidents in the delta country crisscrossed by rivers.
In August at least 21 people were killed when a boat packed with passengers and a sand-laden cargo ship collided. In April and May, 54 were killed in two separate accidents.
In June last year, a ferry sank in Dhaka after it was hit from behind by another ferry, killing at least 32 people. In February 2015, at least 78 people died when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo vessel.
Fires are also a regular source of tragedy in the region. Experts in the South Asian nation of 170 million people blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding.
