DHAKA: Toxic gas and a locked door that barred access to a roof were responsible for most of the deaths in a devastating fire in a Bangladesh garment factory and an adjoining chemical warehouse, a fire official said on Wednesday (Oct 15).
The tragedy, which killed 16 and critically injured several more, spotlights Bangladesh’s poor record on industrial safety, despite improvements following incidents in 2012 and 2013 that drew global attention to unsafe working conditions.
Thick smoke rose from the charred structure amid cooling operations by firefighters, a day after the blaze on the third floor of a four-storey building in Dhaka, the capital, quickly engulfed the warehouse packed with plastic and chemicals.
“The victims could not escape because the roof door was locked,” said fire service official Talha Bin Jashim. “Most of them died from inhaling toxic gas, rather than burns.”
He added, “There’s still smoke because of the stored chemicals, and the toxic fumes are making it difficult to bring the fire under control.”
Dozens of relatives waited outside the blackened building, some clutching photographs of those missing. Identification of the bodies, many badly burned, is being carried out at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The government has launched an inquiry to determine the cause of the fire and identify those responsible for safety lapses.
Source: CNA
