A fire at a factory in Bangladesh has killed at least 25 people and injured dozens others.
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The explosion, which occurred around 6:15 a.m.at the Tampaco Foils factory, located in the Tongi industrial estate around 30 kilometers from Dhaka, the officials said.
Almost 70 people were injured in the fire triggered by explosion, said the official.
Officials said the dead bodies were at a Tongi hospital, DMCH and at the Adhunik Medical College Hospital near Dhaka.
“Most of them had burn injuries”.
There were chemical-filled drums mostly kept on the ground floor of the factory, our correspondent reports quoting locals.
The accident took place as Bangladesh was preparing for a weeklong holiday for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha that falls on Tuesday. He told the BBC that his brother was missing. Around 100 people were in the building when the fire started.
Thousands of such factories supply goods to global clothing chains like Primark and H and M.
It is not the first time mishaps at factories killed people in Bangladesh.
“They’ll probe why the fire occurred and whether the factory lacked proper fire safety measures”.
The accident was followed by an even bigger tragedy six months later when 1,138 people died after another clothing factory complex collapsed, trapping over 3,000 workers.
“So far our focus was only on readymade garment factories, but now this disaster has opened our eyes to the fact that we should also focus on other factories”, said Syed Ahmed, the head of the Department of Inspection for factories in Bangladesh.
Factory fires are common in Bangladesh, where safety conditions are often poor.
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BBC News reported that the 20 units made up “hundreds of firefighters” who battled valiantly to contain the fire and stop it from spreading, then put it out.
