Massive fire at Bangladesh food factory kills 52, dozens injured; building still in flames
The fire broke out at around 5 pm on Thursday at the Shezan juice factory in Naryanganj’s Rupganj, according to fire officials.
FollowRupganj: A massive blaze tore through a Bangladesh factory killing at least 52 people trapped by flames that forced workers to leap for their lives from upper floors, emergency services said on Friday.
The fire broke out at around 5 pm on Thursday at the Shezan juice factory in Naryanganj’s Rupganj, according to fire officials.
It is suspected that the fire originated from the ground floor of the building and spread quickly due to the presence of chemicals and plastic bottles.
Police initially gave a toll of three dead, but then discovered piles of bodies on Friday afternoon after the fire was extinguished.
In addition, at least 26 workers were injured when they jumped from the upper floors as the fire engulfed the building, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported.
Eighteen firefighting units were struggling to douse the fire at the factory building of Hashem Foods Limited.
Fire service spokesman Debashish Bardhan said: "The workers could not go to the rooftop because the exit door to the staircase was padlocked. They could not go down because the lower floors were already engulfed by fire."
The charred victims were piled into a fleet of ambulances to take them to mortuaries amid anguished shouts and tears from people watching in the streets.
People gathered in front of the building in search of their loved ones who are still missing. Of the many missing, the identities of 44 missing workers have been confirmed, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
Normally, there would be more than 1,000 workers in the building but many had left for the day when the fire started.
A five-member probe committee has been formed by the district administration to look into the incident.
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