At least 49 dead in second day of Bangladesh cargo depot fire
Published:Sunday | June 5, 2022 | 5:57 PM
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A massive fire at a container depot near a port city in southeastern Bangladesh killed at least 49 people, including nine firefighters, and injured more than 100 others, officials and local media reported Sunday, as efforts to extinguish the blaze continued into a second night.
The inferno at the BM Inland Container Depot, a Dutch-Bangladesh joint venture, broke out around midnight Saturday following explosions in a container full of chemicals.
The cause of the fire could not be immediately determined.
The depot is located near country's main Chittagong Seaport, 134 miles southeast of the capital, Dhaka.
At least nine firefighters were among the dead, according to Brigadier General Main Uddin, director general of the Bangladesh fire service and civil defence.
More than 10 others were being treated for burns, he added.
Multiple rounds of explosions occurred after the initial blast as the fire continued to spread, Uddin said.
Explosives experts from Bangladesh's military have been called in to assist the firefighters.
The explosions shattered the windows of nearby buildings and were felt as far as 2 1/2 miles away, officials and local media reports said.
Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.