Bangladesh building fire kills 46, injures dozens

By Mahabub Hasan Tutul, Dhaka

The Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Samant Lal Sen. Among them, 41 bodies have been identified. The bodies of 5 others have not been identified. 38 dead bodies have been handed over after their identity has been confirmed.

A terrible fire took place at 9:50 pm on Thursday. The fire came under control at 11:50 pm. 46 people died in the fire that lasted only two hours.

The minister disclosed this information while talking to the journalists on Friday (March 1) morning when he came to see the burn patients. The Health Minister said that till now 10 dead bodies have arrived at Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute and 36 dead bodies at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. 12 more people are under treatment in these two hospitals. None of them are safe. There are 5 more bodies that have not been identified.

He said all those burned died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Since smoke cannot enter a closed room, it enters the airways. That’s what happened to everyone who died. Most of them, unfortunately, did not survive. None of those who are still under treatment are safe. We will sit again on this issue. Stating that the Prime Minister has taken responsibility for treatment, the Minister said that the Prime Minister is looking after the injured. He asked to take all necessary measures for treatment. The minister requested not to crowd the hospital.

The body is still shaking after seeing the burnt building.

The body is still shaking after seeing the burning building. I dined here with family in the afternoon and accident at night. How many people died today? How many mothers’ chests are empty. This city is really unsafe. A passerby named Tanvirul Islam said these things on Friday (March 1).

Pedestrian Ashiq said, I was outside Dhaka. I heard that my friend was burnt in the night. Now he is admitted to the burn unit. Before going to see him, I saw the building where half a hundred people had been killed.
The members of the crime scene of the police special unit CID have been working at the burnt place since morning. They are collecting evidence. The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) is working at the scene.

A police officer said, we have collected various evidences which will be tested in the lab. The cause of the fire will be known later. Our CID, PBI and other agencies are working.

PBI SP Mizanur Rahman Salim said there could be several reasons for the fire. Explosive cylinders or gas lines can cause fire. Asphyxiation can cause more casualties than fire.

Rows of corpses in Dhamae, the entire area heavy with the cries of relatives:

The bodies of those who died in the fire in the building on Bailey Road are lying in rows at the Dhaka Medical College (Dhamek) hospital morgue in Bangladesh. Relatives are waiting near the mortuary to take their bodies. The hospital area became heavy with their cries.

On Friday (March 1) at 5:50 a.m., in front of the mortuary and emergency department of Dhaka Medical, relatives were seen waiting to collect the bodies of those who died in the fire. Many are crying. Some are fainting again and again remembering the memory of their dead relatives.

A temporary information and service center has been opened next to the emergency department of DMK Hospital. There, the relatives are completing the process of taking over the body by submitting the full address and other documents. The body was handed over to the relatives from the Dhaka Medical Mortuary.

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, often reports major fires. On the afternoon of October 26 last year, the fire service received information about a fire at Khawaja Tower in Mohakhali of the capital. Four units of fire service quickly reached the spot and started working to control the fire. Later seven more units joined it step by step. Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force joined their support around 6 pm. Three people in the building were killed in the fire. Two of them are women. One of them fell to his death while climbing on the rope. Another died of suffocation after washing inside. Another person killed is an engineer of Saif Power Tech.

Before that, on April 4, a terrible fire broke out in Bangabazar. The fire service received information about the fire at 6:10 am. The first unit of the fire service arrived at the scene at 6:12 am. A total of 50 units work to control the fire. Support teams from Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force joined to control the fire. Helicopters were also used to extinguish the fire. Members of RAB, Police and WASA were also involved in extinguishing the fire. The exact information about how many traders were affected and how much money was lost in the incident of this terrible fire was not found. However, the President of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association Helal Uddin told reporters at the scene that around 5500 shops were damaged in the fire. It caused an estimated loss of two thousand crore rupees.

President, Prime Minister and Secretary General of BNP mourn this incident:

In his condolence message, the President prayed for forgiveness and peace for the departed souls and speedy recovery of the injured. He also expressed his condolences to the bereaved family.

The Prime Minister sought forgiveness for the souls of those who died in the fire and condoled with their bereaved family members and gave immediate instructions to the authorities concerned to provide speedy treatment to the injured.

BNP Secretary General wished peace to the departed souls of those killed in the fire in his condolence message.