Another firefighter injured in the chemical warehouse explosion in Tongi on Monday has died, raising the death toll among fire personnel to two.
Nurul Huda, 40, a firefighter from Gaforgaon, Mymensingh, passed away on Wednesday afternoon at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS), where he was being treated for critical burn injuries.
Talha Bin Jasim, media officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), confirmed the firefighter’s death. Nurul Huda had suffered extensive burns over his entire body and was receiving intensive care in the ICU before his condition deteriorated.
Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, a resident surgeon at the burn institute, stated that Nurul succumbed to his injuries at around 2:45 pm. Another victim from the incident, firefighter Khondoker Jannatul Nayem, remains in critical condition at the High Dependency Unit (HDU).
The explosion took place at a chemical warehouse housed in a tin-shed at Sahara Market, Tongi, Gazipur, around 3:29pm on 22 September. The fire broke out suddenly, and firefighters rushed to the scene to control the blaze. During the rescue efforts, four fire personnel sustained severe burn injuries.
According to Shawon Bin Rahman, firefighters Shamim, 42, and Nurul Huda both suffered nearly 100 per cent burns, while Khondoker Jannatul Nayem suffered burns over 42 per cent of his body. Another firefighter, Joy Hasan, 24, sustained comparatively minor burns covering 5 per cent of his body.
The blaze was eventually contained after about two hours of intense firefighting, with seven units of firefighters deployed to the scene. With the recent death of Nurul Huda following that of Shamim, the FSCD has lost 50 firefighters in the line of duty to date.
