Staff Reporter :
The fire caught that broke out at the BM Container Depot in Sitakunda was finally brought under control after 60-hour of frantic efforts of army and firefighters.
Meanwhile, two more bodies were recovered from the fire debris raising the total death toll to 52. However, the official number of death toll is 43.
Out of the total bodies, 26 have been identified bodies. At least 22 identified bodies have been handed over to the family members and relatives, sources said.
“We have brought the fire under control. The area is now out of danger,” the commanding officer of the 18th Brigade of the 24th Infantry Division Lt Col Ariful Islam told the media on Tuesday.
About the delay of extinguishing the fire, he said, “It took some more time to douse the blaze because the size of the depot is about 26 acres. More than four thousand containers were kept here one after another. We had to work by separating each container.”
He further said that there was still smoke coming out in the depot mainly from containers full of clothes. Water used to douse the fire is causing the smoke, he said.
“An expert team of Bangladesh Armed Forces is examining the area for the presence of any more hazardous substances. After receiving a final report from them we will be assured that there is no possibility of further danger, the commander said. “We are still trying to douse the fire completely with caution as many of the containers are still burning and we are not sure which one exactly contains hazardous chemicals,” he added.
A team of Bangladesh Army along with Bangladesh Navy and Fire Service are still working to prevent the spread of chemicals in the area.
The fire broke out at the BM Container Depot on Saturday in Sitakunda and soon after the fire a number of explosions occurred due to the explosion of hydrogen peroxide chemicals used for industries.
The fire incident injured over 200 people. Of the injured, at least 63 people received injuries in their eyes and six of them have been sent to National Ophthalmology Institute in Dhaka.
Around 130 people are undergoing treatment in the burn unit of Chattogram Medical College Hospital, said Anisur Rahman, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defense.
Of the burnt injured, three more patients have been admitted to Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka. So far, 19 patients have been admitted in Dhaka.
Physicians said that of the burn injured admitted in Dhaka, most of them are out of danger.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday said that ‘something has happened’ at the BM Container Depot.
“Certainly something has taken place. It’s my firm belief. Otherwise, why so many people died,” he told the journalists after attending a Namaj-e-Janaza of the firefighter Shakil in the compound of Fire Service and Civil Defense Department in the capital.
In reply to a query, the minister said, “We have to carry out an enquiry to know if it was negligence, sabotage or a mere accident.” Asked if any ‘powerful’ people are group commits the crime will the persons be brought to justice, the home minister said.., “Has our Prime Minister spared anybody? Whoever is responsible cannot evade punishment.”
