Ten days after a devastating fire engulfed the wooden Tuptup Resort on Patuartek beach in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar, rescue workers have recovered another body from the site. On Tuesday afternoon, joint teams of fire service personnel and police discovered the remains on the cornice of the second floor during a renewed search operation. Police initially suspect the remains belong to Nasrin Akter, a tourist who had been reported missing since the blaze.
Meanwhile, the bodies of 10 other tourists previously recovered from the resort were handed over to their families around 3:00 PM on Tuesday. Following identity confirmation through DNA testing, the remains were released from the Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue. The hospital premises became heavy with the heart-wrenching wails of mourning relatives during the handover process.
Police stated that DNA profiling will also be conducted to conclusively confirm the identity of the latest victim recovered 10 days after the disaster. Ukhia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Atikur Rahman said that the fresh search of the burnt resort was initiated specifically to locate the missing woman, Nasrin Akter. During the search, a severely charred, skeletal body was found. Whether these remains belong to the missing Nasrin Akter can only be confirmed definitively following DNA testing.
Missing Nasrin was a teacher at 'Swapnobilash Niribili School' in Ashulia, Savar. She had traveled to Cox's Bazar on a holiday with two female friends. Her husband, Dewan Faisal, is a former vice-president of the Dhaka District unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.
Previously, authorities had undertaken comprehensive DNA profiling initiatives to identify the 10 bodies recovered from the ruins of the Tuptup Resort. After successful sample collection and matching, the formal process of releasing the remains to the bereaved families was completed on Tuesday.
