Staying in launch seemed confirmed death, jumping suicidal
Panicked, Rina threw her son into the river. "It was the hardest decision for me as a mother. Later, seeing his fight for survival in the river, I jumped"
Rina Begum was accompanying her 13-year-old son Imran Hossain on the trip to her village home in Pirojpur's Mathbariya from Dhaka aboard the launch MV Abhijan-10.
The fire incident that took place early Friday put her in a fix. "Death hunted us from all sides. I knew staying in the launch would certainly kill us…but jumping into the river would be suicidal too – as my child does not know how to swim," Rina said.
Describing the blaze as hell-like, the mother told The Business Standard that they lost the hope of being alive. "We were preparing for death by kissing each other."
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To save her child, after noticing the increased smoke from the fire on the deck, Rina initially took him to the other side of the vessel. But soon she realised that would not save them.
Panicked, Rina threw her son into the river. "It was the hardest decision for me as a mother. Later, seeing his fight for survival in the river, I jumped."
Rina cannot remember how she managed to reach the shore with her son alive.
But many of the victims of the launch – with overloaded home-bound passengers from the capital on the last working day of the week – could not jump as they could not swim. Smoke from the fire inside the launch was also choking them. Some were burnt to death, according to those who survived. Rescue agencies saved 90 people – but most of them with up to 50% burn.
Miscalculation of fate
Abdur Razzak, a mathematics teacher of a madrasa at Patharghata, was returning from Dhaka after 10 days' treatment of his wife Hanufa Begum. They suffered a lot of hassle in different hospitals in the capital. Razzak, on the launch, was gossiping about what they would do returning home. His daughter Rubi Akther was also with them.
They were supposed to reach home in the early morning.
But, the fire ended everything for his family as Razzak has been missing since the incident. His wife Hanufa and daughter Rubi are now undergoing treatment at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College in Barishal.
Hanufa, early yesterday morning, informed her relatives that they came out of the cabin getting hints of the fire at the engine room. The fire spread to the other sides of the vessel within seconds. Sounds of cries and burning could be heard.
"We were also caught by the fire. He [Razzak] was helping us move forward on the deck, and a few moments later we lost him. We became senseless then. Now, we are in the hospital but he is not with us."
Hanufa's son-in-law told The Business Standard that Rubi's condition was severe as most of her body was burnt. Hanufa's legs and hands were also burnt.
Child Taifa dies, cancer patient grandfather goes missing
Taifa Afrin, 10, had come to Dhaka with her father Bashir Uddin and his cancer-stricken grandfather Ali Shikder. After long treatment, they were returning home. The blaze claimed Taifa's life.
Bashir Uddin said his father is also missing. He is now undergoing treatment at Shere-Bangla hospital, being severely burnt.
Their relatives said Ali Shikder was suffering from cancer for a long time. They came to Dhaka for his treatment. On Thursday night they were returning to their home in Barguna.
Jesmin loses 7-year-old daughter on way to hospital
Jesmin Akhter, another survivor of the fire incident currently undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, lost her 7-year-old daughter Mahinoor Akhter on the way to the hospital as it was severely burnt.
Her son Tanim Hasan also received 30% burn and now has been with his mother.
