Container depot fire kills 49

An infernal fire coupled with sporadic blasts of combustibles in a Chattagram container depot since Saturday night left at least 49 people dead, including nine firefighters, sources said.

More than 300 others were burnt or wounded in the bizarre tragedy at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda in the port city, they said, as the firemen continued the combat till Sunday night with reinforcements from far and near.

Till the filing of the report at 9:00pm Sunday, the number of deceased in one of the worst-ever fire tragedies in Bangladesh had increased by the hour to 49, according to police and firefighters.

The death toll could go up further as many people with critical burns were undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Chattagram and Dhaka while many others were still untraced, the sources said.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Alauddin Talukder of CMCH police outpost said, "A total of 49 bodies were brought to Chattagram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH)."

"The death toll might increase as many workers of the container depot have yet to be traced. More than 300 injured people, of whom many received burn injuries, are undergoing treatment in different hospitals in Chattagram," he said.

To find out cause of the fire incident that caused huge financial loss to the economy, different probe bodies were formed by the depot authority, fire department and district administration.

Despite the relentless efforts of 25 firefighting units, police, members of Bangladesh Army and locals, the blaze that reportedly originated at around 11:00pm on Saturday was seen spreading burning valuable export-import goods in the depot till the filing of the report.

The most dangerous part is that the firefighters cannot give any hope as to when the fire can completely be controlled.

"Look, the fire is causing explosions to many containers having chemicals one after another. We have been trying our best using driver-less vehicles to douse it as quick as possible. But it might take time because of the chemicals," a deputy director of the fire department who rushed to the spot from its head office told a private television channel.

According to the locals and depot sources, there were 16 containers loaded with hydrogen peroxide in the depot. Of these, one container blasted with a massive sound at around 10.15 pm last (Saturday) night. As a result, the rest containers loaded with hydrogen peroxide in the BM Containers Limited blasted one after another the whole night. The fire engulfed the other containers loaded with export goods.

Sources said BM Containers Limited is a concern of Smart Group. There were around 4,000 containers at the depot on Saturday. Of these, 16 containers were loaded with hydrogen peroxide while the rest stuffed with RMG exports. The officials of the depot could not say the sources of the fire.

But, they heard the massive sound of the blast of the container at around 11 pm last (Saturday) night. Many glasses of nearby buildings broke down by blasts. The locals feared to hear the sounds of blasts, said a local dweller, Nasir Uddin.

The identities of the ill-fated victims are yet to be known.

Assistant Commissioner of Chattagram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Md Shahidul Islam said, "We will not hand over the bodies to the family members of the victims before confirming their identity.

"As the bodies are burnt severely and law enforcers cannot identify them, we need the DNA test to confirm the identity of the ill-fated victims. CMP commissioner directed confirming the identities of the victims by DNA tests."

Director of BM Containers Limited Mujibur Rahman said, "I don't know the cause of fire or blast. Many of our staff members were killed and injured. We are shocked. I am yet to know the actual numbers of killed and injured victims. But, we will give compensations to all."

Meanwhile, a specialized team of the Bangladesh Army reached the spot.

The team was working to recover the victims and control the effect of hydrogen peroxide in the area.

Lieutenant Colonel Munira Sultana, the head of the team of Bangladesh Army, said, "There is huge possibility to affect the sea nearby seawater and environment. We are working to control the burn of the chemicals here in the depot area."

Assistant Director of Chattagram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Dr Rajib Palit said, "Condition of the injured persons is very critical. We are providing treatment in the burn unit and other units of the hospital. Some of the injured persons were shifted to Combined Medical Hospital (CMH) as their conditions are very critical."

He added: "We have canceled the leave of the doctors and directed all to attend the hospital for emergency treatment of injured victim."

The owners of BM Container Depot have declared to give Tk1.0 million in compensation to the families of each person killed in the fire.

Simultaneously, Tk 0.6 million or Tk 600000 will be provided for critically injured people while others will get Tk 0.4 million or Tk 400000 in compensation.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour and Employment announced to give Tk0.2million or Tk 200000 in compensation to the families of each person killed in the fire.

The ministry will also provide Tk50,000 compensation for the treatment of the injured on an emergency basis under the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation fund, said State Minister Begum Monnujan Sufian on Sunday.

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