Bangladeshi firefighters contained a blaze near the country’s main seaport in Chittagong on Tuesday, three days after the fire killed at least 43 people, including nine firemen, and injured hundreds of others.
Drone footage showed smoke and rows of burnt-out containers from the fire that began late on Saturday, triggering blasts and blazes at Sitakunda, 40 km (25 miles) from the southeastern port city of Chittagong.
Authorities have not determined the cause of the disaster but said leakage from a container of hydrogen peroxide was likely to be the source of the initial blaze. An official report is expected to be released by next week.
“The situation is fully under control now,” said Mohammad Manikuzzaman, assistant director at Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense.
Officials suspected that depot management had not followed safety guidelines.
“We have only noticed a few fire extinguishers inside the depot,” Manikuzzaman said.
“Other than that, there was nothing visible in connection with fire situation preparedness.”
He added that the bodies of the nine firefighters who lost their lives while trying to extinguish the blaze had been identified and that three men remained missing.
Twelve people were severely injured and some of them had to be airlifted to receive specialist treatment at the Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka.
The depot fire was one of the worst accidents in Bangladesh, which already has a devastating track record of industrial disasters, including factories catching on fire with workers trapped inside.
Drone footage showed smoke and rows of burnt-out containers from the fire that began late on Saturday, triggering blasts and blazes at Sitakunda, 40 km (25 miles) from the southeastern port city of Chittagong.
Authorities have not determined the cause of the disaster but said leakage from a container of hydrogen peroxide was likely to be the source of the initial blaze. An official report is expected to be released by next week.
“The situation is fully under control now,” said Mohammad Manikuzzaman, assistant director at Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense.
Officials suspected that depot management had not followed safety guidelines.
“We have only noticed a few fire extinguishers inside the depot,” Manikuzzaman said.
“Other than that, there was nothing visible in connection with fire situation preparedness.”
He added that the bodies of the nine firefighters who lost their lives while trying to extinguish the blaze had been identified and that three men remained missing.
Twelve people were severely injured and some of them had to be airlifted to receive specialist treatment at the Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka.
The depot fire was one of the worst accidents in Bangladesh, which already has a devastating track record of industrial disasters, including factories catching on fire with workers trapped inside.
