BM container deport fire: Export goods worth $19.3m burnt

Staff Reporter  :
The explosions at BM Container Depot in Sitakunda, Chattogram on June 4 last year ravaged export goods worth USD 19.3 million. Among them 94 per cent of the export goods worth $18.59 million were totally damaged while the rest of 4 per cent goods worth $ 0.7 million damaged partially.
This information revealed in the final report prepared by the seven-member inquiry committee headed by Md Mushfiqur Rahman, joint commissioner of Custom House, Chattogram submitted to the Board of Revenue (NBR) on the first week of April this year.
Documents from the exporters, clearing and forwarding agents, freight forwarders, surveyor’s report, ASYCUDA World data and various registers’ documents maintained at the customs office in BM depot were use to estimate the damages in the BM depot fire.
There were 68.4 lakh cartons of export goods worth $50.71 million against 2,689 shipping bills during the explosion at the depot. Among them, 2.43 lakh cartons of goods were burnt, according to the report.
Ruhul Amin Shikder Biplab, member of the probe committee, and Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association’s General Secretary said, “We have prepared a draft report after conducting an on-site investigation of the export cargoes that were damaged in the BM depot fire. There is evidence of damage to export goods worth Tk 200-250 crore”.
Cartons of goods kept in warehouse No 1 were completely ruined while export goods kept.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the fire and subsequent explosions at BM Container Depot was Fifty-one while hundreds of people, including police and fire service personnel sustained burn injuries in the incident on June 4 last year. It is alleged that the BM Container Depot did not have any fire safety plan. It lacked fire-fighting equipment to douse the blaze before it turned into an inferno.