Staff Reporter :
An eight-member technical team of Turkish experts has arrived in Dhaka to assist Bangladesh in investigating the devastating fire that broke out at the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) on 18 October.
The delegation met Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday to discuss the ongoing probe’s technical and institutional aspects, according to a statement from the ministry.
During the meeting, the Turkish experts assured full cooperation and technical support to identify the cause of the blaze and to recommend preventive measures for the future.
Adviser Bashir expressed appreciation for the Turkish assistance, saying the collaboration would strengthen Bangladesh-Turkey relations and play a vital role in advancing the investigation process.
He also noted that Bangladesh values Turkey’s expertise in aviation safety and emergency response.
The visiting team was led by First Degree Chief Superintendent Oykun Ilgun, while Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Ramis Sen accompanied the delegation.
Senior officials from the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, including Secretary Nasreen Jahan and Additional Secretary Dr Humaira Sultana, were present at the meeting.
Earlier, the government formed several high-level committees to probe the incident, which caused significant damage to the airport’s import cargo village.
The fire was brought under control on the same day through coordinated efforts by the Fire Service, airport authorities, and armed forces, with no casualties reported. However, it took nearly 27 hours to completely extinguish the blaze.
The Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) has estimated losses at around Tk 12 billion.
Civil Aviation Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Saturday that experts from England, Australia, China, and Turkey would inspect the site to determine whether any mismanagement contributed to the fire and to help establish its cause and accountability.
