Disasters & Accidents

At least 4 killed in chemical warehouse fire in Bangladesh

Dhaka, Apr 23 (EFE).- At least four people were killed and 21 others injured on Friday after a fire at a warehouse for chemical products in Dhaka’s old city, the same area where around 70 people were killed in a similar accident in 2019.

The incident originated in a six-floor building situated in the Armanitola area in the old quarters around 3 am, and could not be controlled until Friday morning, fire service spokesperson Ziaur Rahman told EFE.

He added that the building, mainly residential, housed a warehouse in he first two floors storing many types of chemical products, some of which were “highly inflammable.”

The officer in charge of the local police station, Shahin Fakir, told EFE that four people had been killed in the tragedy, without providing further details.

Meanwhile 21 people were admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery after the incident, the institute’s deputy director Mamun Khan told EFE.

“We have four people being treated in critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit and 16 others in regular beds. One injured person has been released after primary treatment,” he said.

Dhaka’s historic old city is home to many chemical businesses, where security norms are often ignored, which has led to serious accidents in the past.

On Feb. 20, 2019, a massive fire at a chemical products warehouse in the same area killed at least 70 people while 55 were injured, with seven buildings being completely destroyed in the incident.

In 2010, another fire at a chemical products factory in the same neighborhood killed at least 124 people.

Old Dhaka is one of the world’s most densely populated areas, with more than 23,000 people living in every square kilometer. EFE

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