At least 52 people were killed and 25 injured after a devastating fire razed a food and beverage factory at Rupganj in Narayanganj on Friday.
Of the deceased, 49 were burned alive by the blaze while three others succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at a hospital, confirmed Narayanganj fire service station while talking to The Business Post.
The fire service also confirmed that 25 people injured by the fire were sent to US Bangla Hospital in Dhaka for treatment.
The fire, which broke out at the factory owned by Hashem Food and Beverages Ltd around 5:30pm on Thursday, spread rapidly through the six-floor building and continued throughout the night.
A total of 18 firefighting units from Narayanganj and Dhaka were called in to tame the blaze, and they finally managed to bring the fire under control by 12:30pm.
Although the fire service put the number of causalities to three on Thursday, but the death toll started to rise as soon as firefighters entered the building in search of survivors.
The bodies recovered from the building were sent to the mortuary of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for identification.
“Most of the bodies have been charred completely. We are now collecting DNA samples to verify the identities of the victims,” Narayanganj Additional Police Superintendent Suvash Chandra Shaha said while briefing reporters at DMCH.
Meanwhile, relatives of those who went missing following the factory fire thronged the DMCH morgue in an attempt to find their loved ones.
Helal Uddin, a resident of Narayanganj, said his two nephews Rakib and Hasnain, aged 26 and 14 respectively, have gone missing since the blaze took over the factory.
“We heard of the fire after 9pm on Thursday. We tried to reach them over the phone, but their numbers were found to be switched off,” Helal told The Business Post.
“We managed to reach their supervisor Motaleb over the phone after several attempts. He confirmed that my two nephews had escaped the fire. However, there is no trace or either Rakib or Hasnain since last night. We also could not identify any of their bodies at the hospital. Now we are waiting here to provide our DNA samples for verification,” he added.
Fire Service and Civil Defence Deputy Director Debashis Bardhan said most of the dead bodies were found on the third floor of the building.
“The third floor was blocked with a mesh, and for this reason the victims could not escape the fire,” he added.
Fire Service Deputy Director (Dhaka Division) Dinu Moni Sharma told The Business Post that the factory, which produces fruit juice for Shezan brand, had stockpiled several highly flammable chemicals and plastic containers, which allowed the fire to spread quickly throughout the building.
“Each floor has an area of 34,000 square feet divided into many compartments, which became a problem for us while dousing the fire,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Narayanganj District Administration has formed a five-member probe body, led by Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shamim Bepari, to investigate the fire incident.
“The committee has been asked to submit its report within seven working days,” Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner Mustain Billah told the media.
He also said families of those killed in the fire will be compensated with Tk 20,000 from the district administration and the families of those seriously injured with Tk 10,000.
Similarly, the Fire Service and Civil Defence also formed a 5-member probe body, led by its Director (Operations and maintenance) Lt Col Zillur Rahman, over the incident.
Quoting some survivors, local residents said there were lollipops, liquid chocolates on the third floor, organic drinks (fruit juice, milkshakes) on the second floor, toast biscuits on the first floor, and various drinks, boxes and polythene bags on the ground floor.
Salauddin Mia, administration in-charge of the factory, said some 400 workers were working overtime in the afternoon at different sections in all five floors. There were also stores on the top floor of the building, that contained goods worth crores in taka.
Following the massive fire, agitated relatives of the missing workers carried out vandalism in several places alleging negligence and delayed response from the fire service.
They also attacked a local Ansar camp and vandalized several motorcycles and vehicles. Several journalists working there also came under the attack.
Later, police used tear gas and fired blanks to disperse the agitated mob when they started throwing brickbats at law enforcers. Several people, including Ansar members, were injured during the rampage.
Fire Service authorities said they received information on fire at 5:42pm and it took them 18 to 20 minutes to reach the spot. They also added that 18 units and 110 firefighters were engaged to bring the fire under control.
Dhaka Range Deputy Inspector General Habibur Rahman said police was now preparing a list of all those who have been reported missing following the fire.
“Additional members of police have been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward situation,” he said.
On Friday afternoon, eight of the injured taken to the DMCH were identified as Nahid, 23, Monjurul Islam, 25, Mohasin Hossain, 32, Abu Bakar Siddique, 40, Amena Begum, 32, Fatema Akhter, 23, Mohasin, 27 and Mazeda, 28.
Confirming the matter, DMCH police camp In-charge Inspector Bachchu Mia said three of the injured were shifted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute as they were suffering from breathing problems caused by smoke from the fire.
Abu Bakar Siddique, one of the injured, told The Business Post, “We sustained injuries when we rushed in panic to get out of the building.”
In 2019, a large-scale fire at a chemical products plant in the same area killed 70 people and injured 55. Earlier in 2012, at least 119 people were killed in a fire at a clothes factory.
