Staff Reporter:
The death toll from the devastating fire at a garment factory and a chemical warehouse in Shialbari area of Mirpur Rupnagar in Dhaka has increased to 16 as of Tuesday evening.
Fire Service officials and locals fear that the death toll may climb further, as there were many injured seriously.
The fire, which began around 11:30 am, was not fully brought under control till the afternoon, accord-ing to the Fire Service Department.
The fire broke out at the four-story ‘Anwar Fashion’ garment factory and a neighboring tin-shed chemi-cal warehouse. Firefighters have been spraying water to contain the flames while conducting search op-erations inside the factory.
By 4:15 pm, nine bodies had been recovered, a number that rose to 16 by 7:15 pm, confirmed the Fire Service.
Lt. Col. Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (operations and maintenance) at the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters, told the media that the search is ongoing and the chemical warehouse remains extremely hazardous.
“No one is allowed near the warehouse. We are using drones and advanced technology to monitor and manage the situation,” he said.
Locals said the fire broke out on the ground floor of the factory and then spread to the chemical ware-house, triggering loud explosions that engulfed all four floors.
Workers tried to escape, but many were trapped.
According to the Fire Service, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic, and hydro-gen peroxide.
The warehouse’s owner and staff have gone into hiding since the incident, the FSCD director added, suspecting that the warehouse had been operating without proper approval.
