Dhaka, October 14 — The death toll in the fire that broke out at a garment factory and a chemical warehouse in Shialbari, Mirpur, has risen to 16.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Director (Operations) of the Fire Service, confirmed the update on Tuesday evening.
He stated that the bodies of 16 victims were recovered from the 2nd and 3rd floors of the garment factory. The fire in the chemical warehouse is still not under control and will take more time to be extinguished. The warehouse stored around six to seven types of chemicals, which quickly spread the fire as soon as it started, trapping the workers inside the garment section. Many were unable to escape or reach the roof, leading to their deaths.
Earlier, at 11:40 AM, Talha Bin Jasim, acting officer of the Fire Service media cell, reported the fire outbreak.
The first fire service unit arrived at the scene at 11:56 AM, followed by 12 additional units.
Eyewitnesses described a sudden explosion at the garment factory, which quickly spread to the nearby chemical warehouse. To control the crowd of onlookers, the army was deployed at the site. Assistance was also provided by students from nearby private universities, volunteers, police, RAB, and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
