DHAKA: A massive fire at a container depot near a port city in southeastern Bangladesh killed at least 28 people and injured more than 100 others, officials and local media said Sunday, as firefighters struggled to get the blaze under control.
The fire at the BM Inland Container Depot, a Dutch-Bangladesh joint venture, broke out around midnight Saturday following explosions in a container full of chemicals. The cause of the fire could not be immediately determined. The depot is located in Chittagong, 216 kilometers (134 miles) southeast of the capital, Dhaka.
At least five firefighters were among the dead, according to Brig. Gen. Main Uddin, director general of the Bangladesh fire service and civil defense. Another 15 firefighters were being treated for burn injuries, he added.
Multiple rounds of explosions occurred after the initial blast as the fire continued to spread, Uddin said. Explosives experts from Bangladesh’s military have been called in to assist the firefighters. The explosions shattered the windows of nearby buildings and were felt as far as 4 kilometers away, officials and local media reports said.
Firefighters were still working to bring the fire under control on Sunday.
Although it has been almost 17 hours since the fire started at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda in Chattogram, the blaze is yet to come under control. Explosions can still be heard.
Around 2:30 pm Sunday, June 5, 2022, the media cell of fire service and civil defence said that 25 units were working at the depot to put out the fire, reports said, ( with inuts from AP, agencies and Daily Star)
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In addition, 250 members of Bangladesh Army are working in the rescue operation, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Fire, explosion at Ctg depot: Death toll now 40
Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence Brigadier General Md Moin Uddin told The Daily Star, “A 14-member special team of the fire service from Dhaka has gone to Sitakunda to douse the fire at the container depot. The team is being led by Assistant Director (Training) Monir Hossain. They’ve already started working there.”
He added, “The fire is not completely under control, but it is not spreading out at the moment.”
