Bangladesh depot fire near Chittagong claims 49 lives, at least 300 injured

A huge fire in a container depot in southern Bangladesh claimed the lives of at least 49people while around 300 others were injured on Sunday, according to official sources. According to fire service official Jalal Ahmed, the fire broke out at a container storage facility in Sitakunda, around 40 km from the Chittagong port. The fire started around midnight and Ruhul Amin Sikder, spokesman for the Bangladesh Inland Container Association (BICA), said that the fire probably got worse because of the containers carrying chemicals present in the private depot including hydrogen peroxide. The fire also destroyed millions of dollars of garment products which were kept in the container depot.

"The death toll from the fire has risen to 34," Elias Chowdhury, chief doctor of the Chittagong region in southern Bangladesh, told AFP. "More than 300 people are injured."

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The authorities rushed to the scene and local police chief Abul Kalam Azad told AFP that a number of firefighters were also injured from an explosion that took place as they attempted to douse the fire.

“Some 170 people were injured including at least 40 firefighters and 10 police officers. Three firefighters were also killed,” he told AFP while explaining the rescue efforts by the authorities.

The AFP report further stated that the injured individuals were taken to different hospitals in the nearby areas and 20 people are still in critical condition after sustaining serious burns.

Mominur Rahman, chief administrator of Chittagong district, confirmed that the fire is currently under control but there are “still several pockets of fire in the depot”.

“Firefighters are trying to control these pocket fires,” he said according to the AFP report.

(With inputs from agencies)