At least six people were killed and 50 others injured as a massive fire broke out at an oxygen plant following an explosion in Kadam Rasul (Keshabpur) area of Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila on Saturday afternoon.
The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately, said Nurul Alam Ashiq, in-charge of Chittagong Medical College Hospital police outpost.
Of the injured, nine are identified as Md Nur Hossain, 30, Md Arafat, 22, Motaleb, 52, Fancy, 30, Md Jasim Uddin, 45, Narayan, 60, Md Forkan Dada, 35, Shahriar, 26, and Md Zahid Hasan, 26.
The injured were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
The fire started at Seema Oxygen Plant around 4:30 pm after a big bang, Sitakunda Fire Service officer Md Fazle Rabbi said.
On information, 9 firefighting units from Sitakunda, Kumira and Chittagong fire stations rushed to the spot and managed to douse the flames at 6:30pm, said Md Shahjahan Shikdar, Deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence.
“A probe has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the fire,” the officer added, said the fire official.
Earlier on 4 June last year, a devastating fire at BM Container Depot killed 51 people and injured more than 250 people.
One of the victims is Shamsul Alam, aged above 60, of the area. Identities of the remaining ones could not be known immediately.
Sitakuna Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shahadat Hossain said that the death toll in the fire reached to six until 7:15pm
‘Rescue operation is going on ,’ said Chattogram additional superintendent of police Abu Taib Mohammad Arif and added that the death toll might increase as a number of the victims were in critical condition.
Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence deputy assistant director Abdul Hamid Mia said that the explosion occurred at about 4:30pm.
Fire services deputy assistant director Shahjahan Shikder in a press release said that nine fire fighting units were working at the place to contain the fair and rescue the victims.
The release said that the military police were also called to tackle the situation.
Deceased Shamsul Alam’s son-in-law Mohammad Salahuddin said that that parts of a cylinder hit his father-in-law while he had been reading newspaper at a tea stall about 500 metre away from the oxygen plant.
He said that Shamsul was rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
