At least 32 people died in southern Bangladesh after a fire broke out on a crowded vessel early morning on Friday.

The tragic incident happened near the southern town of Jhalokathi, 250 km (155 miles) south of the capital Dhaka, according to the police, on a ferry with 500 people on board.

"The three-story Obhijan 10 caught fire mid-river. We have recovered 32 bodies. The death toll may rise. Most died from the fire and a few by drowning after they jumped into the river," local police chief Moinul Islam told AFP.

"We have sent some 100 people with burn injuries to the hospitals in Barisal," he added.

Sandeep Seth, a Bangladeshi TV journalist, posted a video on his Twitter account, showing the ferry bursting into flames, and mentioned that 100 others were injured.

32 dead in #Bangladesh ferry fire, 100 others injured. boat caught fire in a river in Jhalokati state in Bangladesh, about 200 kilometers south of #Dhaka pic.twitter.com/zqtkfa5AnA

— Sandeep Seth (@sandipseth) December 24, 2021

Some passengers are still missing and some others are in a critical condition, said Zohor Ali, Jhalakathi District Administrator.

The fire is believed to have started in the engine room and ripped through the vessel packed with people going back home from Dhaka, via Jhalakathi, Bhuiyan.

Such incidents are frequent in the South Asian nation of 170 million people.

Poor maintenance, overcrowding, and lax safety standards at shipyards are the reasons for such incidents as per experts in Bangladesh.

In August, at least 21 people were killed when a boat filled with passengers bumped into a sand-laden cargo ship in a lake in eastern Bangladesh.

Vessels carrying sand sit low in the water and are difficult to be seen in windy weather and choppy waves, especially in poor lighting.

In February 2015, at least 78 people passed away when a packed ship collided with a cargo vessel.