Syed Shemul Parvez :
A massive fire completely gutted the Gazi Tires factory in Rupganj, Narayanganj, leaving a devastating impact on the community.
Since Monday, relatives of the missing have been gathering outside the factory, desperately searching for their loved ones. Many are holding copies of national identity cards, while others are showing photos on their mobile phones, hoping for any sign of those still unaccounted for.
It is reported that at least 173 people remain missing following the fire that broke out at the Gazi Tire Factory on Sunday night. However, none of them are believed to be factory workers, leading to speculation that the missing individuals may have been at the site for looting or other purposes.
In conversations with at least 20 relatives of the missing, who have gathered outside the factory, a common story emerges. They say that their loved ones went to the factory at various times on Sunday, and since then, there mobile phones have been switched off. On Tuesday morning, a heartbreaking scene unfolded as teenager Sumaiya Akhter stood in front of the charred factory building, crying while hugging her mother, Kalpana Begum. Sumaiya recounted that her father had gone to the factory on Sunday night and has not been heard from since.
Kalpana Akhtar added, “My husband has a Jamdani saree manufacturing factory in the area. Last Sunday, one of his office staff, Saddam Gazi, went to the Gazi factory. My husband went to the factory at night to look for him. He spoke with us over the phone at 10 pm that day. Since then, his phone has been switched off. Only Allah knows if he is alive.”
Nearby, Moni Akhtar, a resident of the Kalabagh area, was also in tears. Her husband, Rashed, who works as a mason, went to the factory around 8:30 pm on Sunday with another local resident. He has not returned home since, and his phone, too, has been switched off. “I have been searching for my husband all night but have not found him. I don’t even know the person he was with. What should I do now?” Moni said, her voice filled with despair.
Meanwhile, witnesses reported that even on Tuesday morning, hundreds of people were seen looting items from inside the burnt factory. Assistant Director of Fire Service, Anwarul Haque, mentioned that rescue teams had climbed to the roof of the building’s sixth floor, which was completely destroyed by the fire, but no casualties were found there yet.
Fire service personnel have declared the entire factory building as hazardous, with the fifth and sixth floors being particularly dangerous. The structure is at risk of collapsing, with iron, bricks, and sand falling from the roof of the burnt building.
A CID investigation team arrived at the scene on Tuesday morning but was not allowed to enter the building due to safety concerns. Due to the extreme heat, they could only observe the site from a distance.
The fire at the Gazi Tire factory in the Rupsi Khadun area of Rupganj Upazila, Narayanganj, was reportedly set deliberately by miscreants around 10:30 pm on Sunday. Earlier in the day, the factory had been looted. Twelve fire service units worked tirelessly for 21 hours, from Sunday night until 8:30 pm on Monday, to bring the fire under control. The flames were finally extinguished on Tuesday morning.