Fire-fighters recovered the charred body of a man from the oil-carrying trawler, which caught fire after explosions on the Buriganga River near Fatullah Bazar in Narayanganj district on Wednesday.
The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.
Fakhruddin Ahmed, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service, reported that the fire broke out around 1:30pm near the Meghna Depot Jetty. All the oil-laden drums on the trawler exploded with a big bang, causing panic among local residents, he said.
Upon sensing danger, all four crew members aboard the trawler jumped into the river. While one worker managed to swim ashore and was taken to a local hospital, the others remained missing.
Ten fire-fighting units responded to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze by 3:30pm.
Later, the fire-fighters recovered the body of a man from the trawler. Two workers were still missing after the fire incident.
Ziaur Rahman, in charge of the Meghna Depot, said the trawler, loaded with oil drums, was en route to Barishal. He added that preliminary investigations suggest the fire might have originated from a cooking stove as the workers were preparing their meal.
Fatullah Upazila Nirbahi Officer Didarul Islam confirmed that the drums contained diesel and petrol.
There were 86 drums containing petrol and 70 drums containing diesel, he said. The search for the missing workers continues as authorities investigate the incident.
