New Delhi: At least 37 people have been killed and over 450 others injured in a fire caused by an explosion at a private Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Sitakunda Upazila in Bangladesh’s Chittagong last night.
The bodies have post the fire, which broke out at BM Container Depot in Kadamrasul area, been kept at the morgue.
“Over 450 people have been injured in this incident of which, at least 350 are at CMCH. The death toll could be more at other hospitals,” Dhaka Tribune quoted Istakul Islam, the chief of Health and Service Department at Red Crescent Youth Chittagong, as saying.
The fire broke out at the container depot at around 9 p.m., said Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Police Outpost Sub-Inspector (SI) Nurul Alam.
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There was an explosion at around 11:45 p.m. as the Fire Service units worked to put it out and the fire then spread.
The Sub-Inspector further said it was initially being suspected that the container depot caught fire due to chemicals.
The explosion shook the neighbourhood and shattered glasses of windows of nearby houses, Dhaka Tribune reported sources as saying.
Chittagong Fire Service and Civil Defense Assistant Director Md Faruk Hossain Sikdar said “around 19 firefighting units are working to douse the blaze”, adding “six ambulances are also available on the spot”.
BM Container Depot, set up as an inland container depot, has been operating since May 2011.