Portion of Sundarban Hotel wall caves in

FE Report | Published: May 28, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

All guests and staff were evacuated from the Sundarban Hotel in the capital's Kathalbagan area on Wednesday after a portion of its boundary wall and the alley collapsed to adjacent construction site of a multi-storied twin tower, officials said.  
However, no one was hurt in the incident.
The fear of the six-storey residential hotel collapsing was sparked at about 7:10am when the boundary wall and the subway between the hotel and the construction site caved in as shore piling of the under-construction site failed.
Soon after the incident, a probe team under the leadership of the chief engineer of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) was formed in this connection.
City development authority Rajuk's authorised officer Saiful Hannan said the shore piling had collapsed due to lack of proper iron bracing used for protecting the piling, leading to the incident.
He said the National Bank Limited is constructing the twin tower with 12-storey each and the Rajuk is planning to take legal action against the construction firm for its carelessness.
On information, mayors of both DNCC and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) visited the spot and inquired about the measures to overcome a possible disaster.
Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan said shore piling is meant to protect the edge of the soil. "The collapse took place due to the poorly-designed groundwork of the under-construction building," he added.
Talking to reporters, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokan blamed the Rajuk for the incident.
"It's the duty and responsibility of the Rajuk to look after it and undoubtedly it showed carelessness," he said. It's regrettable that none of Rajuk officials was present at the accident site, he added.
DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq said he sought help of the Bangladesh Army to overcome the crisis without any further trouble. Other key government agencies like Titas, Wasa and Rajuk started working to this effect.
"We're dealing with the matter in a coordinated way," he said, adding that a probe committee was formed to avert any disastrous incident.
The DNCC Mayor also said underground utilities like gas, water and electricity were snapped and the risky and collapsed area will be filled up by sand bags.
When contacted, Wajed Ali, general manager of the Sundarban Hotel, said they evacuated some 60 guests and other staff from the hotel as a pre-cautionary measure in the morning.
He said they had requested the construction firm several times not to do anything that could put the hotel at risk.
"We've also filed a general diary (GD) with Kalabagan Police Station in this connection," he added.
Urban planner and architect Iqbal Habib blamed poor enforcement of the construction rules and regulations by Rajuk caused the collapse.
Local lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh also visited the spot.
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