Container depot in Bangladesh: Many dead in major fire

Explosions at a Bangladeshi container depot have sparked a major fire. At least 34 people died and hundreds were injured. Chemicals are said to have been found in the containers.

At least 34 people died in a major fire at a container warehouse in Bangladesh. Authorities say at least five firefighters are among the dead. More than 100 people were injured, according to the fire department and local media. The dpa news agency even reports more than 450 injuries, citing the newspaper “Dhaka Tribune”, which quotes a spokesman for the Red Crescent rescue service.

The death toll is likely to increase because the fire is not yet under control, the head of the health department, Hasan Shahriar, told the AFP news agency. According to the chief medical officer of the city of Chittagong, Elias Chowdhury, some of the injured are in mortal danger.

chemicals in containers

Emergency services tried to get the fire under control near the port city. The fire at the Inland Container Depot, a Dutch-Bangladesh joint venture, broke out around midnight on Saturday. This was preceded by explosions in a container with chemicals.

After the first blast, numerous others occurred as the fire spread, Uddin said. Explosives experts from the military were summoned to support the fire brigade. According to local media reports, the detonations could still be felt four kilometers away.

Bangladesh’s Inland Container Association spokesman Ruhul Amin Sikder said some of the containers contained chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide. Local authority chief Mujibur Rahman said the cause of the fire was still unclear. According to him, about 600 people worked in the depot. Garments worth several million dollars were stored there, which were to be exported to western retailers.

The depot is about 20 kilometers from the country’s main seaport in Chittagong.