Staff Reporter :
Firefighters forced open a locked door of a chemical warehouse on Wednesday at Shialbari in Mirpur’s Rupnagar area, a day after a deadly fire and explosion killed 16 people.
The warehouse, locally known as Hazi Alam’s Chemical Godown, stood sealed since the blast on Tuesday morning and the fire was doused after 27-hour.
A fire service team broke through the metal door to reach a section that had remained untouched due to toxic fumes and high heat.
Officials said they had not yet begun removing chemicals from inside because the warehouse was still unsafe.
Fire Service and Civil Defence Station Officer Talha Bin Jasim said the rescue operation resumed around eight in the morning on Wednesday.
He said the site remained dangerous due to the presence of bleaching powder, plastic resin and hydrogen peroxide that could trigger further explosions.
He said no chemicals had been taken out yet and the removal work would only start after experts declared the area safe. He said it also remained unclear whether there were still bodies trapped inside.
Visiting the scene, Fire Service Assistant Director Kazi Nazmuzzaman told reporters that another type of gas is also being released which is harmful for human respiration.
“We are warning everyone. Please maintain distance. Since it is chemical, it may take a long time because dealing with chemicals is difficult. If chemicals are not stored according to regulations, large explosions or reactions can occur. That is why it will take time to bring it under control,” he said during a briefing.
Fire Service Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury said it might take another 36 to 72 hours to complete. He also said that they served three notices to the illegal chemical godown along with other concerned government agencies.
Meanwhile, several garment workers from a nearby factory fell sick from toxic fumes released along with smoke.
“In the morning, some people came from a garment factory after falling ill. We treated 7 to 8 workers here. One of them was unconscious. Some had breathing difficulties and were coughing. After primary treatment, they were sent to DMCH,” Mahmudul Hasan, Medical Officer at Swapno General Hospital and Diagnostic Center in Rupnagar told media.
A five-member chemical expert team broke the door of the warehouse around 11:30am and found one locked entry to an inner storage space filled with stacked chemical drums and open plastic containers.
Meanwhile, DMCH Director Brigadier General Md Asaduzzaman said members of 10 families had come forward to identify their relatives but victim’s body would be handed over without DNA verification.
DNA samples were being collected from all 16 victims and matched with relatives. Unclaimed bodies would later be sent to Anjuman Mofidul Islam after the legal process.
Three people injured in the fire were taken to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Doctors said two had been released on Wednesday after treatment. One person remains in hospital with serious burns.
Meanwhile, a team from the Chemical Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering aand Technology (BUET) led by Professor Md Easir Arafat Khan visited the site on Wednesday to collect samples of burned chemicals, metal fragments and ash.
The team will submit a report to the fire service to help determine how the fire spread and whether safety rules were violated.
Expressing shock, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday ordered an investigation into the fire and asked authorities to find out whether the buildings were operating legally.
He said such fires had happened before in chemical warehouses and must not continue and action would be taken if negligence was found.
A seven-member probe committee led by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment Loshkar Tajul Islam was formed to investigate the fire incident and submit report within seven days, said a PID handout on Wednesday.
It also said that the families of each deceased will receive Taka two lakh as financial assistance, while each injured person will receive Taka 50,000 from the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation.
Visiting the site, Social Welfare Adviser Sharmeen Soneya Murshid called for relocating chemical warehouses from densely populated areas to safer places.
“We have to formulate stronger policy to remove chemical warehouses from densely populated areas,” she said. “Expose the perpetrators to justice,” she said, terming the chemical warehouse at Mirpur as illegal.
Meanwhile, Police are still trying to locate the owners of both the warehouse and the garment factory.
A delegation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi visited the site on Tuesday night and said the tragedy showed the failure to enforce safety rules. He demanded quick punishment for those responsible.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman also visited the area and met families of the victims. He announced financial support for them and called for an impartial investigation.
