On October 20, 1994, a passenger ferry caught fire in the waterways near the Sundarbans mangrove region of southwestern Bangladesh, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life. Exact death tolls from the disaster remain uncertain: contemporary reports and subsequent summaries variously cited figures in the hundreds, reflecting chaotic rescue conditions, limited record-keeping, and overlapping counts of missing and presumed dead. The accident became one of several high-casualty inland-boat disasters in Bangladesh during the 1990s and intensified scrutiny of ferry safety on the country’s densely traveled rivers. The Sundarbans, a vast tidal mangrove area spanning southern Bangladesh and India, is traversed by a network of rivers and channels used by ferries and small boats to transport people, goods and agricultural produce. Ferries in the region were often overcrowded, poorly maintained and lacking sufficient lifesaving equipment. In 1994, these systemic problems—combined with flammable onboard materials, use of open flames or poorly installed fuel systems for cooking and lighting, and minimal crew training—made large passenger boats particularly vulnerable to fires. Eyewitness accounts and contemporaneous news coverage described rapid spread of flames aboard the vessel, panic among passengers, and ineffective immediate firefighting response. Many passengers were reported to have jumped into the river to escape the blaze; the strong tidal currents and lack of lifejackets contributed to drownings. Rescue operations were constrained by the remoteness of the location, limited numbers of rescue craft, and the speed with which the fire overwhelmed the ferry. Official investigations and later analyses pointed to multiple contributing factors: overcrowding well beyond certified capacity, absence of adequate firefighting equipment and personal flotation devices, poor enforcement of maritime safety regulations, and the practice of carrying flammable cargo alongside passengers. Corruption, limited regulatory resources, and fragmented oversight among local authorities and national agencies were also cited as broader causes that made such disasters more likely. The scale and publicity of the 1994 Sundarbans ferry fire added to public pressure for reform. In the years that followed, Bangladesh undertook periodic efforts to strengthen inland vessel safety, including calls for stricter enforcement of passenger limits, mandatory safety equipment, inspection regimes, and better training for crew. Implementation and effectiveness of these measures have varied over time; ferry accidents and high casualty incidents continued to occur in subsequent decades, underscoring the persistent challenges of managing safety on an extensive and heavily used inland waterway network. Historical accounts of the 1994 incident are marked by uncertainty in casualty figures and details of the exact sequence of events, owing to limited archival records and the chaotic nature of rescue and reporting at the time. Nonetheless, the disaster is remembered as emblematic of a period when rapid demand for river transport outpaced safety oversight, with tragic consequences for ordinary commuters and travelers. The incident remains part of broader discussions about transport safety, governance, and disaster risk reduction in riverine and coastal communities in Bangladesh. It also serves as a reminder of the human cost when regulatory systems and emergency-response capacities fail to keep pace with transportation needs.