At least 25 people have been killed and 70 injured, many critically, in a huge fire triggered by a boiler explosion at a Bangladeshi packaging factory, officials said yesterday as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze. Fifty more people were hospitalized after an explosion in the boiler room caused the fire, as almost 100 people were in the four-story building.
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A boiler explosion reportedly resulted in the devastating fire in the factory on Saturday at about 6:00 a.m. ( local time).
A relative of a fire victim cries as victims’ bodies are carried into a makeshift morgue at a hospital after a fire broke out at a packaging factory in Tongi industy area outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016. It is also the worst industrial accident in Bangladesh since the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza building outside Dhaka that killed over 1,100 workers, who were mainly employed in the garment industry.
Dozens of employees were still in the hospital on Monday being treated for burns and related injuries, including six in critical condition. “We will take care of them”, Chair of Tampaco and a former member of parliament.
Factory owner Tampaco Foils packages various items for several global brands, including Nestle and British American Tobacco.
Critics, however, say the focus on clothing factories has left less money and manpower to monitor other industries.
“There are still flames here and there as there are a lot of chemicals in the factory”, senior fire service official Masudur Rahman told Reuters.
The deputy inspector general of factory inspection said that authorities also plan to file cases against the company and its owner for violating building and safety codes. It has raised renewed questions about industrial safety in the country, which is one of the world’s top garment exporters.
The site produces and prints plastic packaging for products including snacks and small household goods.
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He said that the death toll from the blaze had risen to 26.
