Three workers were killed and 15 others injured as a blade factory caught fire after a gas cylinder explosion at Masimpur in Tongi Industrial area of Gazipur early yesterday.
Witnesses said a gas cylinder exploded on the ground floor of the two-storey Bidyut Bangladesh Pvt Ltd with a big bang around 12:30am.
They said the fire spread to the storeroom on the first floor and all other units of the factory following the explosion, damaging machineries, blades and raw materials and killing the workers.
The deceased were identified as Shahidul Islam, 27, son of Chan Miah of Ghor Chotraipur village in Sonatola of Bogra, Delwar Hossain, 26, son of Hatem Sheikh of Hayetpur village in Gobindaganj of Gaibandha, and Sanjay Dutta, 25, son of Sunil Kar of Haldev Miah village in Mongla of Bagerhat.
The injured were taken to Tongi Upazila Health Complex and Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for treatment. The condition of one worker is very critical at DMCH, sources said.
Shahidul was burnt alive while two others succumbed to their injuries at DMCH. Almost all the workers except Shahidul managed to come out of the factory during the fire, said Officer-in-Charge (OC) Jahirul Haque of Tongi police station while talking to The Daily Star.
On information, fire fighters from Tongi fire station rushed to the spot. Five other fire units from Gazipur, Tejgaon and Kurmitola later joined with them and the fire came under control around 5:00am.
Country Director of Bidyut Blade Factory Prasanna Utta claimed that the fire caused a huge loss to them. During the fire, 30 people were working at the factory, which runs in three shifts, he said.
Local lawmaker Zahid Ahsan Russell, police super Nuruzzaman and Tongi Municipality Mayor Ajmat Ullah Khan visited the spot yesterday morning.
Categories: Bangla, Bangladesh, Bangladesh News, Bangladesh Politics, Daily Bangladesh News, News, Politics
