The tragic account became bigger than the huge one explosion of chemicals in a container storage area in Sitakunda, Bangladesh as well the death toll so far is 38while there are fears of their further increase, as eyewitnesses said that many bodies have not yet been collected from the private warehouse, located about 40 km from the large port of Chittagong, in the southeastern part of the country.
The fire broke out on Saturday around 21:30 local time (18:30 Greek time) at the BM Container Depot storage area. Hundreds of firefighters rushed to the scene to put it out, but an hour later several containers containing chemicals exploded.
“The report of the fire amounted to 38 dead »said Elias Tsodri, chief physician of the area. “More than 300 people have been injured”he added.
According to him, many people are still ignoredamong the journalists who covered the fire.
“There are corpses in areas affected by the fire. I saw eight or ten “said a member of the rescue crews.
Among the injured are 40 firefighters and 10 police officerssaid Chittagong police chief Anwar Hosseini.
According to him, “The death toll is expected to rise as some of the injured are in critical condition”.
The huge explosion shook the buildings several kilometers from the warehouse, according to locals.
Fire balls in the sky
“The explosion sent fireballs into the sky. Fireballs falling like rain. We were very scared and left immediately “said 60-year-old Mohmad Ali, a resident of the area.
“The explosion threw me about ten meters away from where I was. I have suffered burns on my arms and legs “pointed out Tofael Ahmed, a truck driver who was in the warehouse.
Some of the containers in the private storage facility contained chemical productsEspecially hydrogen peroxidethe head of the fire brigade, Maine Udin, explained to the journalists. “We have not been able to bring the fire under control due to the presence of this chemical”he added.
The warehouse employed about 600 people, said Mujibun Rahman, the director, who said he did not know the cause of the fire.
For his part, Muminur Rahman, the governor of Chittagong, called for an investigation into the incident. He also stated that about 200 soldiers have been called in for helpmainly to avoid the possibility of chemicals spilling into the sea.
Rahman said many of the containers contained millions of dollars worth of clothes to be exported to Western countries.
About 90% of its nearly $ 100 billion in annual trade Bangladesh passes through Chittagong. In this large port the activity has returned from the end of 2021 thanks to the global economic recovery after the pandemic.
Fires are common in Bangladesh, where safety regulations are not respected.
In July 2021, 54 people lost their lives in a fire that broke out in a huge food processing plant located outside the capital Dhaka. In February 2020, 70 people were killed in another fire that destroyed several apartment buildings in Dhaka.
Source: News Beast
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