A fire at a storage depot near the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong and a massive explosion have killed at least 49 people and injured hundreds more. Hundreds of people came to put out the fire when several shipping containers exploded at the Sitakunda site. It is believed that some containers contained chemicals.
[Hasibul]Incidents of industrial fires are common in Bangladesh, and are often blamed for poor safety regulations. The condition of many of the injured is said to be critical and the death toll is expected to rise. Hospitals in the area are overflowing, with crowds of people in the hallway for treatment. Doctors have appealed for blood donation and some of the injured have been airlifted to the capital Dhaka.
Bangladesh chemical container depot Blast
A fire broke out at a BM container depot in Kadmarsul area of Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong on Saturday night. So far 35 bodies have reached the morgue here, a police official posted at the state-run Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) told reporters. More than 450 people were injured in the incident, including at least 350 in the CMCH, ”Istaqul Islam, head of the health and services department at the Red Crescent Youth Chittagong, told the Dhaka Tribune.
[Hasibul]How the chemical container fire broke out ?
CMCH police outpost sub-inspector (SI) Nurul Alam said a fire broke out at the container depot around 9pm on Saturday. An explosion occurred while fire service units were working to extinguish it, and then the fire spread. Nurul added that initially it was thought that the container depot had caught fire due to chemicals.
At around 11:45 pm, a container containing chemicals exploded and the fire spread from one container to another. The depot was mostly empty. An eyewitness told PTI by phone that firefighters. Police and other rescuers arrived at the scene after the fire initially broke out and they were killed in an explosion of a chemical container.
[Hasibul]A fire at a depot in Bangladesh has killed
49 killed in fire at Bangladesh chemical container depot
According to doctors, the number could rise further as many of the injured are being treated for serious burns. About 23 hours after the blaze broke out on Saturday, army-backed firefighters were unable to reach the scene. A fire at a depot in the Sitakunda area has injured about 300 people and authorities fear the death toll could rise. Nurul Alam, a police officer working at the police outpost of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, said a preliminary investigation suggested the fire was caused by a chemical reaction.
[Hasibul]Local media reported that the fire spread after the explosion. The fire started around 9 pm and exploded around midnight, the police official said. The fire spread quickly after the explosion. Chemical containers were also exploding Sunday as firefighters tried to put out the blaze and officials said the army had joined the mission. Drone footage showed thick columns of smoke and rows of burnt pots.
[Hasibul]Bangladesh Chemical Container Depot Fire Kills 49, Wounds Hundreds
A massive fire at a private chemical container depot in southeastern Bangladesh. And a series of subsequent explosions have killed at least 49 people. Including nine firefighters, and injured more than 450, officials said Sunday, with firefighters still battling the blaze. According to doctors, the number could rise further as many of the injured are being treated for serious burns. About 23 hours after the blaze broke out on Saturday, army-backed firefighters were unable to reach the scene.
[Hasibul]The disaster prompted the authorities to call in army sappers to stop the spread of chemicals in the surrounding canals and the Bay of Bengal coast. Fire service officials said nine of their colleagues were killed in the blast when they rushed to the scene shortly after receiving news of a fire at the BM container depot in Sitakunda on the outskirts of the port city of Chittagong.
