Two more bodies found in Jhalokathi rivers

JHALOKATHI and BARISHAL, Dec 28: The Fire Service and Civil Defence and Bangladesh Coast Guard rescuers on Tuesday recovered two more bodies from the Sugandha and Bishkhali rivers after five days of the devastating fire incident on the Abhijan-10 launch on Friday morning.
With this, the total number of deaths reached 43 on Tuesday. Several others remained missing.
The authority has already collected DNA samples from the dead bodies and collecting the DNA samples of their family members, who claimed that their relatives have been victims of the incident.
A three-member forensic team from Dhaka Crime Investigation
Department (CID) has been collecting the samples at Municipality Mini Park in Jhalokathi and Barishal.The identity of the two persons cannot be confirmed till the writing of this report at 8:30pm on Tuesday. Of them, one person is about 32 years and another is a 13-year old boy.
However, a man aged 35, whose dead body was recovered from the RiverSugandha on Monday, was identified as Shakil Ahmed Mollah. His family members have identified the body.
According to his family members, Shakil was a cook of the canteen of Abhijan-10. He's the son of Shafiuddin of Narayanganj.
Meanwhile, a new case has been filed with Jhalokathi Sadar Police Station in connection with the deaths and missing in Abhijan-10 fire incident.
The owners of the launch, its master drivers and some 15 to 20 other unknown persons were made accused in the case, Khalilur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of the Police Station, said and added that the case was recorded under the Section 304 of the Penal Code.
The names of the accused mentioned in the FIR are the owner of M/S Al Araf and Company (Abhijan-10) Hamjalal Sheikh, its Master Riaz Sikder, Driver Masum Kalam, Supervisor Md Anwar, Sukani Ahsan and Clerk Md Kamrul.
Plaintiff of the case Monir Hossain said in the FIR that his sister Taslima Akter, 30, her two daughters Sumaiya Akter Mim, 15, and Sumona Akter Tanisa, 10, younger brother Joni's son Jonayed Islam Bayzid, 7, died in the fire incident when they were going to their village home in Barguna from Dhaka on the faulty launch. The fire caught in its engine with a huge sound and spread to the entire launch.
He also claimed that only 12 out of 36 burnt bodies could be identified. As a result, he couldn't yet identify the bodies of his sister and nieces and nephew.