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CHATTOGRAM DEPOT BLAZE

Businesses worried about imported shipments, locals haunted

Saleh Noman
07 Jun 2022 00:00:00 | Update: 07 Jun 2022 00:34:06
Businesses worried about imported shipments, locals haunted

An official of Mosharaf Group, an international trading firm in Dhaka, repeatedly phoned an official of BM Container Depot in Chattogram on Monday morning to enquire about the status of the company’s products imported via 40 containers.

But the depot official could not provide any information, making the caller very worried.

The company’s Managing Director Mosharaf Hossain told The Business Post, “We do not know what has happened to our consignment, which contained products worth around Tk 30 crore. The depot official I called just told me to pray for him and others.”

“We have also sent a team to the depot. But as no one can enter it for security reasons, we could not get any concrete information about our shipment.”

Saturday’s massive blaze devastated the depot in Chattogram’s Bhatiari. The Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association’s estimate put the damage at Tk 1,200 core. But damage to the environment and health of locals is still uncounted.

The people in the area said the inferno and the explosions had traumatised them. Frightened by the ‍spread of chemicals, many temporarily left the area.

Many said they were experiencing auditory problems due to the loud noises caused by the explosions. Some also said children were not leaving the house out of trepidation.

Mohammad Rashed, a resident of the nearby Keshabpur area, was walking restlessly with his one-and-a-half-year-old son in his lap outside the depot.

“My baby has been screaming and crying since the explosions while I am experiencing hearing problems,” he said. He further said the sound of explosions had shattered the windows in his house.

The blasts also broke the glasses on one side of the local Oli Nagar Abdul Jalil Mosque into pieces. Locals were instructed via the mosque loudspeakers to evacuate.

Saima Akhter, ‍a college student, said her family left the area after the incident and had not returned yet because of fear.

Neamot Ullah, a paramedic and a medicine shop owner, told The Business Post the explosions caused blisters in the bodies of many locals who were outside the depot.

“I sent them to hospital for treatment. Some of those injured in the fire were several hundred yards away from the depot at the time of the accident,” he added.

Efforts were still underway to prevent the spread of chemicals in the area on Monday. The army had already built three barriers in canals and ditches to prevent the water from flowing into the sea.

The environment department had collected samples to measure the level of air pollution in the area, said Mufidul Alam, director of the department’s office in Chattogram.

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