The fire was initially thought to have triggered by a powerful boiler explosion at the Tempako Packaging Factory in Tongi industrial area near Dhaka, but officials later claimed they have found the factory tank intact fuelling speculation that a gas leak could be the reason behind the blast.
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“At night the fire spread to other floors where huge amounts of chemicals and other flammable items were stored for use in packaging”, Bhoumik said.
Fire Service Headquarters Director Lt Col Mosharraf Hussain said 25 units battled the flames, which caused two floors of the five-storey building to partially collapse.
Citing hospital officials, the paper said the bodies of 19 people were recovered from the building while five others succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment.
At least six of the 14 people being treated for burns at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital were in critical condition, said Mohammed Bacchu Mia, a police official at the hospital.
Hundreds of firefighters are at the scene attempting to extinguish the fire.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which occurred at around 6 a.m. Authorities have ordered an investigation.
Several volunteers who were working inside the factory came out of the building due to the thick smoke triggered by the fresh fire. “I haven’t heard from him since this morning”.
Bangladesh factory fire kills at least 24, more than 30 injured was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 11, 2016 and was last updated on September 11, 2016. The location of the boiler in the building was also being scrutinized.
The company, Tampaco Foils Ltd., lists Nabisco and local affiliates of British American Tobacco and Nestle as clients on its website. In 2013, more than 1,100 workers died in a building collapse that ranks as the country’s worst industrial disaster.
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The Rana Plaza disaster led to global calls to improve factory safety in the country.
