The death toll from a fire at Tup Tup Resort in the Patuertek area of Inani Beach in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar rose to 10 on Saturday, the Fire Service and Civil Defence said.
The deceased include seven people identified as Israat Jahan Maliha, 30, and Milita Mehezabin Alvi, 23, from Banasree in Dhaka; Laila Jahan Nabila, 27, and Nafista Mim, 27, from Khilgaon; Fariha Kabir, 33, from Chuadanga; Nasrin Akter Mukta, 29; and five-year-old Faizan Ahmed.
Six people were injured in the fire. They are physician Shihab Uddin, 31, his wife Nafiza Newaz Khan, 29, Mannan, 34, Meherunnesa, 30, Masud, 30, and Samida, 32. They are receiving treatment at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.
The fire broke out at around 7:00 am and spread quickly, said Talha Bin Jashim, an official at the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters.
Two firefighting units rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control at around 8:15 am. The fire was completely extinguished at around 11:00 am, the Fire Service said.
Firefighters recovered six bodies from different rooms of the resort and four from a bathroom. Some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition, said Talha Bin Jashim.
He said the death toll could rise as search operations continued, with firefighters yet to complete checks in at least two other bathrooms.
Local residents took some of the injured to different hospitals soon after the fire broke out, but their number could not be immediately confirmed, the spokesperson added.
The cause of the fire could not be determined immediately.
