Dhaka: Police in Bangladesh have filed a case against the owner and manager of a seaside resort where a fire killed 10 people, with the manager arrested and the owner remaining untraceable, local media reported on Sunday.
A police sub-inspector filed the case on Saturday night following the blaze at TupTup Resto and Resort in Cox’s Bazar district.
The resort’s owner, Tanvir Ahmad, has been named as the prime accused, while manager Mohammad Sumon is also among those accused, The Daily Star reported.
Ukhiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman Majumder confirmed the case, the news portal bdnews24.com reported.
Sumon, who was detained at the scene on Saturday afternoon, was subsequently arrested in connection with the case, Dhaka Tribune reported.
The case names four people as accused and lists 19 others as unidentified accused, The Daily Star reported, citing the officer-in-charge.
Police were conducting operations to arrest the other accused, while the resort owner remained untraceable.
The fire broke out on Saturday morning at the resort along Marine Drive in Ukhiya, a popular coastal area located around 410 km from Dhaka.
Fire service personnel recovered 10 bodies from the site. Six of the deceased were members of the same family, while at least 2 others had yet to be identified.
The cause of the fire has not been established. Cox’s Bazar Superintendent of Police ANM Sajedur Rahman said it could be determined only after the investigation was completed, bdnews24.com reported.
A five-member committee formed by the district administration is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, according to Dhaka Tribune.
Authorities are also examining whether the resort had adequate security arrangements, the required permits and appropriate fire-safety measures.
The identification of the deceased and the handover of their bodies to relatives are underway. DNA tests will be conducted to establish their identities and resolve discrepancies involving recovered bodies, missing persons and identification records.
Abul Kalam Azad, special superintendent of police at the Criminal Investigation Department in Cox’s Bazar, said arrangements would be made to collect DNA samples at hospitals across the district. A team of CID experts from Dhaka could be brought in if necessary, he added.