Owner of overcrowded Bangladeshi ferry arrested

COLOMBO(News 1st);Hum Jalal Sheikh, the owner of the overcrowded ferry in Bangladesh that caught fire mid river on Friday(24) was arrested by the Bangladeshi Police on Monday(27).

The tragic incident claimed 39 lives and left many injured, investigators attributed the death toll to a disregard for safety.

The majority of the victims were burned to death, while others drowned in the freezing waters while attempting to flee.

The vessel lacked sufficient fire extinguishers and buoys to deal with a big mid-river mishap, Marine police officer Mahbubur Rahman stated.

Survivors claimed that the driver of the ferry kept the vessel moving for almost an hour after the blaze broke out in the engine room, if the ferry had been anchored immediately many lives could have been saved, the Marine police officer further said.

Bangladeshi experts blame poor maintenance, lack of safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding for the South Asian nation's frequent maritime disasters.