At least 16 people have been killed, and 8 others injured in a blaze that engulfed a garment factory and chemical warehouse in the city’s Mirpur area.
Fire Service Director (Operations and Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury confirmed the matter in a press briefing.
The fire service received news of the fire at 11:40am on Tuesday. The first unit arrived at the scene at 11:56am, followed by 11 more units.
Authorities say the death toll may increase further. They also confirmed that neither the garment factory, nor the chemical warehouse had clearance from the fire service.
3 admitted to burn institute
Three individuals are receiving treatment at the National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery following the fire in Mirpur.
Sharing his experience, Al Mamun, 32, a cutting master at a garment factory named RN Fashion, said, “The factory is located on the 3rd and 4th floors of the building. At around 11:30am, a loud noise came from a neighbouring building.
“At first, I thought it was an earthquake, but then I saw smoke. The smoke soon filled our building, and I was trapped on the 4th floor. I was rescued when a wall from a nearby building broke down.”
Mamun explained that the building is five stories tall, with the swing section on the 3rd floor where many workers were present.
Sohel Sardar, 32, an injured worker from the finishing section on the 3rd floor, said, “When I saw the smoke and tried to escape, I got stuck on the 2nd floor. The rescue team helped me out after the entire floor was filled with smoke.”
Suruj Uzzaman, 32, who works for a buying house named Texzora Global in Abdullahpur, was at RN Fashion when the fire broke out. “I was trapped there, but managed to escape after some effort,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Robot deployed at scene
Firefighters are utilising a robot named LUF 60 for search and rescue operations at the site. The robot has bene deployed in the chemical warehouse.
Talha Bin Jasim, an official from the Fire Service and Civil Defence Media Cell, told TIMES of Bangladesh that the robot is being used to reduce the risk for firefighters and to efficiently tame the blaze.
The robot is capable of detecting flames, mapping hazardous areas, suppressing fires, and assisting in search and rescue operations.
Relatives search for missing persons
Relatives of missing individuals in the Mirpur fire are flocking to hospitals in search of their loved ones. One such relative, Tamim Ahmed, arrived at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the evening with a printed photo of Asma Akter, 15.
Tamim explained that Asma hailed from Sautkhali village in Mohanganj, Netrokona, and lived with her aunt on Road No 10 in Mirpur Shialbari. She worked at a garment factory in the building that caught fire, but Tamim was unsure of the factory’s name.
After hearing about the fire, they rushed to the site, but could not find any trace of Asma. Since then, they have been visiting different hospitals in search of her, but she has not been located as yet.
Shakil Ahmed, the cousin of Khalid Hasan Sabbir, 34, also arrived at the hospital looking for him. He said, “Khalid is from Patharghata, Barguna. His father is Monirul Islam. He lived in Mohammadpur and worked at the RN Fashion store on the 4th floor.
“Khalid’s phone is on, but no one is answering his calls. I met his colleagues here at the Burn Institute, but I haven’t been able to find him. His colleagues also have no information.”
Anwar Hossain, a contractor from Bengal Ripu Fashion in Mirpur-1, came searching for Nure Alam, 30. He explained that Nure Alam worked at their contracting company and had gone to the garment factory in the building on Tuesday. Since then, he has been unreachable on phone.
