At least 38 dead after ferry catches fire in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi villagers looking at a burnt-out ferry after a fire onboard the vessel killed at least 38 people in Jhalokathi, 250km south of Dhaka, yesterday. A local police chief said most died from the fire while a few drowned after jumping into the river to flee the blaze, adding that the death toll may rise. Witnesses said the fire, believed to have originated in the ferry’s engine room, started around 3am and burned for five hours before it was doused. A local district official said there were about 500 to 700 passengers on board the ferry, which had set off from Dhaka on Thursday night.