20220605 At least four killed in blast after fire in Chattogram container depot
Bangladesh Jun 05 2022 “Automobile & Railway”
Dead : dead 1 to 4 Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 1 to 9
At least four killed in blast after fire in Chattogram container depot
Updated: 2022-06-05
At least four people have been killed and scores of others injured in an explosion during a fire incident at a container depot in Chattogram’s Sitakunda.
The injured were taken to nearby health facilities and Chattogram Medical College Hospital after the incident on Saturday night.
CMCH Assistant Director Rajib Das announced the death of two of the injured around 1am on Sunday.
One of the victims has been identified as Mominul Haque, 22, a computer operator at the privately run BM Container Depot. The other victim could not be identified immediately.
Two more deaths were reported later as the injured, some with serious wounds, were still being rushed to hospitals in the wee hours of Sunday.
Officials said more than 100 people, including workers, policemen and firefighters, were injured in the fire that erupted around 9:30pm on Saturday.
As many as 10 policemen and 53 others were admitted to CMCH until 12:45am on Sunday.
Fire Service and Civil Defence said 15 of its units were working at the scene as the blaze could not be tamed after several hours.
The fire spread due to the explosion, said Shahjahan Shikder, a deputy director of the fire service.
Local journalist Mizanur Rahman Yusuf said the explosion was heard from as far as three kilometres away.
Initial reports suggested the fire had originated from chemicals, said Nurul Alam Dulal, Senior Station Officer at Kumria Fire Station.
CHAOTIC SCENES AT HOSPITAL
At the CMCH, hundreds of volunteers, including those from the public and Red Crescent, gathered to help the authorities to tackle the emergency.
Red Crescent volunteers were using loudhailers calling for blood donation for the injured victims. With the cries of victims and whistles of security guards, chaos engulfed the hospital.
As the injured kept steaming in, doctors said the number of victims may cross 200. Many of the injured were rushed to the wards without their names registered.
Chattogram Civil Surgeon Md Ilias Chowdhury said the authorities were scrambling all the doctors and nurses.
“Those [doctors] who are listening to my statement now, please put on your apron and come to Chattogram Medical College Hospital,” he said.
The Faujdarhat-Bayezid Link Road was closed to traffic to facilitate the transportation of the injured. The other vehicles were being diverted to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.
Sumon Banik, an inspector at Sitakunda Police Station, said the fire got bigger after the firefighters sprayed water.
A policeman’s leg was almost severed after the blast.
BM DEPOT TO BEAR THE COST OF TREATMENT
BM Container Depot Ltd is a Netherlands-Bangladesh joint venture, according to its website.
In a statement, the company said it was unsure how the fire originated. It estimates the fire erupted from a container.
It promised to pay for the medical bill of the injured and compensate all the victims.
“Everything will be done as per the administration’s decision.”
The depot was set up on a 24-acre piece of land next to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, some 20 kilometres from the port city, in 2011.
The depot is used for shipping and delivering readymade garments, processed food and other products.
Web Source: BDNews24