Cox’s Bazar resort fire: Another skeleton found as DNA tests identify 10 victims

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Authorities in Cox’s Bazar have confirmed the identities of 10 victims from the TupTup Resto and Resort fire through DNA testing, returning their remains to families while continuing to search for a missing schoolteacher believed to be found among newly uncovered remains. The ongoing investigation and recovery efforts highlight the uncertainty surrounding whether all victims have been accounted for following the October 17 blaze.

Authorities in Cox’s Bazar have identified the remains of 10 victims from a recent fire at TupTup Resto and Resort, with DNA tests confirming their identities before returning the bodies to their families. The victims belonged to two families, with six members from one family and four from another, all of whom resided in Dhaka’s Banasree and Khilgaon areas.

The fire occurred on the morning of October 17 at the three-story resort located near Marine Drive, adjacent to Patutartek Beach, approximately 28 kilometers from Cox’s Bazar town. Initial reports had indicated that 11 individuals were unaccounted for, but only 10 bodies had been recovered, leading investigators to continue search operations at the site.

Police and Fire Service personnel resumed their efforts at the resort’s debris yesterday, nearly 10 days after the blaze. During the search, a new set of burnt skeletal remains was uncovered beneath a pile of ash near a toilet on the third floor. These remains are believed to be those of missing schoolteacher Nasrin Akter Mukta, according to Ukhiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman Majumder. Mukta is known to be the wife of a former leader of the Dhaka district unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and was a teacher at Swapnabilash Niribili School in Savar’s Ashulia.

The identified victims from one family include Mohammad Nahidur Rahman, 41, an official with Grand Power Limited in Dhaka’s Shyamoli; his wife Afsana Matin, 36; and their daughters Rozaina Inaya, 9, and Munanina Ihana, 6. The other family’s victims were Moulita Mehbazim Alvi, 19; her cousins Layla Jahan Nabila, 25, and Israt Jahan Malika, 27; another cousin, Faria Kabir, 33; Faria’s son Mohammad Faizan Noor, 6; and Faria’s brother Mohammad Nafis Tehami, 24.

Investigating Officer Rimon Ghosh noted that DNA testing was critical in confirming the victims’ identities before the remains were formally handed over at Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital morgue. Family members received the remains around 2:30 p.m. yesterday and departed by ambulance.

The discovery of the additional skeletal remains and the identification of the 10 victims have underscored lingering questions about the fate of the missing schoolteacher Mukta and whether all those reported missing have now been accounted for. Authorities continue their recovery efforts at the fire site as investigations into the incident proceed.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.