Cox's Bazar resort fire: Case filed accusing owner, 1 held

Police have filed a case over the deadly fire at Tup Tup Resort in Patuartek, Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar, which killed 10 people. Resort owner Tanvir Ahmed has been named the chief accused. The resort’s assistant manager, Mohammad Sumon, has also been named in the case, and police have shown him as arrested.

Ukhia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Atiqur Rahman Majumder confirmed the case on Sunday (18 October) morning. He said police filed the case as the complainant on Saturday night. However, details of how many people in total have been accused were not available.

A police source said Sumon was detained at around 3:30 pm on Saturday. He was later shown arrested in the case filed over the fire. The authorities concerned are looking into the cause of the fire and whether anyone was negligent.

Police have taken steps to conduct DNA tests on the bodies to confirm the identities of the dead. Once the results are in, a decision will be made on handing the bodies over to relatives after identification. For now, the bodies will be kept in the morgue of Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital, the Ukhia OC said.

Six of the 10 dead are reported to be members of one family and their close relatives. They include Israt Jahan Maliha, wife of Md. Ashiqul Islam, a resident of Banasree in Dhaka, and her sister Laila Jahan Nabila. Ashiqul Islam had gone to Tup Tup Resort on Thursday with his family members. News of the deaths of his family members emerged after the fire broke out there.

The fire started at around 7 am on Saturday at Tup Tup Resort in the Patuartek area, next to Marine Drive. The wooden structure was engulfed within moments. Three fire service units reached the scene at about 8 am and began firefighting and rescue work. The fire was brought under control at around 10 am, after which the recovery of bodies from the debris began.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police and the Coast Guard joined the fire service in the rescue operation. Syed Morshed Hossain, assistant director of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service Station, confirmed that 10 bodies had been recovered by 2 pm on Saturday.

The actual cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed. The case filed by police is under investigation, and details of the cause, possible negligence and those responsible are expected to emerge from the probe.