12 Bangladesh-bound cotton-laden trucks burnt at Petrapole

A devastating fire at India’s Petrapole land port has burnt 12 trucks waiting in a parking lot to enter Bangladesh’s Benapole land port with imported cotton.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday at Jayantipur Luxmi truck parking lot and quickly engulfed trucks parked there.

However, no casualties have been reported.

Kartik Chakraborty, general secretary of the Petrapole Port Staff Welfare Association of India, said a truck with cotton waiting to be exported to Bangladesh caught fire in the Jayantipur Lakshi truck parking lot near Petrapole port this morning. Later, fire broke out in 11 other cotton trucks nearby and they were also burnt down.

The other cotton loaded trucks managed to move elsewhere, he said

On information, members of the fire service arrived from Bangaon and Gobradanga and doused the fire at around 5:00 am after hours of effort.

Sajedur Rahman, general secretary of the Benapole Port C&F Agents Staff Association, said, “I have heard from traders on the other side that a fire broke out in 12 cotton loaded trucks to be imported to Bangladesh.”

Shri Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Director of Petrapole Port said Rs 8 crore worth of cotton was damaged in the fire. A five-member committee has been formed to probe the incident.