For Ashiqul Islam, a family trip to Cox’s Bazar has unravelled into a nightmare beyond words.
A fire at the resort where they stayed has left six of his relatives missing, his wife among them.
Overcome with grief at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital on Saturday, Ashiqul lamented: “Just 10 more minutes and my wife could have got down too.”
He recounted that his wife woke him up after spotting flames at TUPTUP Resto and Resort near Patuartek beach in Inani of Ukhiya Upazila, before rushing to rouse other relatives in adjacent rooms.
The fire spread in the meantime. Ashiqul quickly broke a window and jumped out, but his wife could not make it out.
He had come to Cox’s Bazar from Dhaka with 10 members of his family. They reached the place on Thursday morning and checked into the resort.
A sister-in-law’s husband, identified only as Iftee, left for Chuadanga the night before, so nine of the family were at the resort when the fire broke out.
Two more relatives, Ashiqul’s wife’s maternal uncle Masud and his wife Mila, identified only with single names, were treated at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital. Doctors later referred them to Dhaka.
According to Ashiqul, the six missing are his wife Israt Jahan Maliha, sister-in-law Laila Jahan Nabila, Milita Mehjabin Alvi, Fariha Kabir, and their relatives, 5-year-old Faizan Ahmed and Nafis Tehami Jerif.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner (DC) A Mannan visited the injured at the hospital around 2pm on Saturday. Ashiqul gave him the names of his missing relatives.
The DC says their identities have been collected and DNA samples are being taken from the recovered bodies. The bodies will be handed over once they are matched with samples from relatives.
The fire broke out at TUPTUP Resto and Resort around 6:30am on Saturday. Two units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence brought it under control at 8:15am.
With identification of the recovered bodies still under way, it could not be confirmed immediately whether any of the six missing are among them.