At least 10 people were killed and nine injured after a fire broke out at a seaside resort in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district early Saturday, The Express Tribune reported citing officials. The blaze gutted the three-storey resort, which was built mainly of bamboo and wood.
The fire broke out around 6.30am at TUPTUP Resto and Resort in Inani, near Patuartek Beach along Marine Drive. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Syed Muhammad Morshed Hossain, deputy assistant director of the Cox’s Bazar Fire Service, said the entire structure had been gutted. Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner A Mannan said six bodies had been recovered so far and DNA samples would be collected before the bodies were handed over to their families.
The injured were taken to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital. Sabuktagin Mahmud Sohel, the hospital’s resident medical officer, said five injured people had burns covering around 5% of their bodies.
"The other person was injured in a fall and was discharged after receiving first aid. All five burn patients have been admitted to hospital," he said.
Around 30 people were reportedly at the resort when the fire broke out. Four to five people managed to escape, while the whereabouts and condition of the others remained unclear.