Relatives of missing persons have recovered what they say are charred skull fragments and bones from the first and second floors of the six-storey Gazi Tyres factory building in Rupganj, Narayanganj, that was engulfed in flames earlier this month.
After a public hearing by the district administration on the fire, relatives of the missing individuals entered the factory on Sunday afternoon. Many of them ascended to the second floor of the damaged building, where they discovered several burnt bones and a skull fragment on the floor.
The remains were handed over to the police, who said DNA testing and other examinations would confirm whether the bones were human.
According to relatives, police and district administration sources, the district administration's investigation committee organized a public hearing in the morning on the factory premises.
During this time, the committee collected photos and details of the missing persons, traced their last known locations through mobile phone tracking, and recorded their names and addresses.
A total of 78 families reported their relatives as missing during the hearing.
The hearing lasted from 10am to 3pm. Afterwards, some relatives of the missing persons entered the burnt building, where they reportedly found bones on the second-floor staircase and floor.
Nazma Begum, the mother of 16-year-old missing madrasa student Abu Bakar Siddique, said: "We went to the factory to provide the names of the missing. When we tried to enter the building, we were initially denied entry. After submitting a written request to the police, a few of us were allowed to go upstairs.
“I noticed smoke still coming out from the ground floor. As I was climbing up, I saw a man coming down with a skull fragment in his hand. The fragment still had hair on it. It was clear that it was part of a human skull. Later, others brought down more bones. They did not let me go further up because I was a woman."
She continued: "They cannot even say for sure if people have died. If we had not gone up ourselves today and recovered the remains, they would not have believed that people had died. My son was studying at Ayat Ali Madrasa. He had completed his Hifz and was in the eighth grade. I had so many dreams for him, that he would grow up and stand by my side. But now all my dreams are shattered."
Meanwhile, mechanic Imon Hossain, the son of missing Sonargaon Jamdani sari businessman Nabi Hossain, told Dhaka Tribune that he had gone to the factory to report his father's disappearance. “I found many other families sitting with bones they had recovered. Most of the bones were burnt. Some were showing a video of a burned body part from the second floor. It was clear from the video that it was a human corpse."
The relatives said despite six days of continuous firefighting, the fire service and the administration could not locate their missing loved ones, which was why they had to take matters into their own hands.
What the probe body and police are saying
Hamidur Rahman, additional district magistrate and head of the district administration’s probe body, told the media: "After we left the factory following the public hearing, some relatives entered the building and found some bones. We instructed the police to collect the remains. The relatives handed over the remains, and if necessary, we will proceed with DNA testing to identify them."
Deepak Chandra Saha, officer-in-charge of Rupganj police station, told Dhaka Tribune it was not yet confirmed whether these remains belonged to the missing people from the burned building.
“The relatives have handed over some charred bones, claiming they found them inside the building. Since there was no police operation there, we cannot confirm anything right now."
Additional Superintendent of Police Amir Khosru said nothing could be confirmed until DNA tests were conducted.
Earlier, on Thursday, a team from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) declared the building dangerous, after the third, fourth and fifth floors had collapsed onto the second floor.
The fire service conducted a search of the ground floor and basement but did not find any bodies. It officially concluded its search operation at 7:05pm on Friday.
On August 25, after the factory owner, former Narayanganj-1 lawmaker Golam Dastagir Gazi, was placed on a six-day remand by a Narayanganj court, BNP leaders and activists held a jubilant rally in Rupsi, Rupganj.
During this time, hundreds of people stormed the Gazi Tyres factory, looting machinery, furniture and other items.
Around 9pm, arsonists set fire to the building, which spread throughout the factory.
At the time, relatives claimed that several people were trapped inside the building.
Upon receiving the news of the fire, 12 firefighting units began working to control the blaze.
After a 22-hour effort, the fire was brought under control at about 7pm on Monday.
However, parts of the building were still burning till Wednesday night.
Based on information provided by relatives, the fire service initially reported 175 people missing, later revised to 133 according to lists provided by the upazila administration and students.
The district administration formed an eight-member committee immediately after the incident, with a report due in ten working days.
