Ten bodies were recovered from a resort in Inani, Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, after a fire broke out on Saturday morning, according to bdnews24.com. The administration says family members have reported 11 people missing, though the exact number of those unaccounted for and the identities of the recovered remains have not yet been confirmed.
The establishment, TupTup Resto and Resort, had been the subject of notices from at least three government bodies. It nonetheless received guests who stayed overnight there, bdnews24.com reports.
Why it matters
The fire has turned attention from the tragedy itself to a question of accountability: how a resort that the Cox's Bazar Development Authority, the Department of Environment and the Fire Service and Civil Defence had each flagged in some way was still operating and taking bookings. Officials from the agencies involved describe repeated notices, rejected applications and orders to shut down, alongside a persistent shortage of staff to enforce them. The case now raises the question of whether safety in Bangladesh's main tourism zone rests largely on the diligence of business owners.
What each agency says it did
Fazle Rabbi, authorised officer of the Cox's Bazar Development Authority, told bdnews24.com that the resort had been served notices in stages since 2023, and that orders were issued to stop work and remove the structure. He said an application for the authority's approval was rejected because the building sits in a no-development zone, where such construction cannot be sanctioned.
Lieutenant Colonel M A Azad Anwar, director of training, planning and development at the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said at the site on Sunday that the resort was "an illegal establishment." According to his account, it was operating without permission from the district administration, a union parishad or municipality, or any other authority. He advised that further details be sought from those bodies.
He said the Fire Service inspector had issued a written notice to the resort in June, instructing it to obtain an e-fire licence promptly. At a press conference on Saturday, Fire Service Director General Brigadier General Sultanul Afrin Junaid said the resort had been inspected in June and warned in writing that it was risky, and that it continued to operate illegally afterwards.
Khandaker Mahmud Pasha, deputy director of the Department of Environment, said the Cox's Bazar–Teknaf peninsula, St Martin's Island and Sonadia Island fall within areas designated as environmentally critical, where activities that harm the environment are restricted. bdnews24.com reports that the department had previously said no clearance could be granted for the structure because it was built in such an area.
Staffing shortfalls cited
Officials repeatedly pointed to a lack of manpower. Azad Anwar said a single authorised inspector is responsible for inspecting businesses across the whole of Cox's Bazar district, with roughly 500 to 600 establishments under his remit. About 100 of them hold e-fire licences and around 52 more have applied, which by his count leaves roughly 400 without one.
He explained that even if the inspector visited one premises every day, it would take a year to eighteen months before he could return to the same business. The inspector's duties also include preparing reports, holding hearings and other tasks, so regular fire-safety checks at every establishment are not feasible, he said.
Fazle Rabbi said the development authority is identifying structures along roughly 80 kilometres of Marine Drive through a digital survey and acting against unapproved ones in stages. He said 150 to 250 structures in the area have been identified for action. Asked why buildings remain standing after notices are issued, he said many operators ignore the law even after repeated warnings, adding that some are doing business where they have no permission at all.
Questions over enforcement
Abu Morshed Chowdhury Khoka, president of the Cox's Bazar Civil Society, said the inquiry should examine not only whether the resort was unapproved but also why removal orders issued in 2023 and 2024 were never carried out, according to bdnews24.com.
The reporting leaves open whether guests had any safe means of escape once the fire started, and whether any department neglected its duties. bdnews24.com said it visited the site on Sunday and spoke with government officials in an effort to answer those questions.
What happens next will likely hinge on whether the authorities move beyond notices against the hundreds of other unapproved or unlicensed establishments identified in the district, and on the findings of any formal investigation into Saturday's deaths.
