Garment factories in Bhogra bypass area of Gazipur were closed for the day when a worker died and 26 others fell ill allegedly after drinking contaminated water in the factory yesterday.
Shahidul Islam, sewing operator of Masstrend Garments, said the workers fell ill after drinking water in the factory around 8:30am and one of them Shahida Begum, 30, died after a while.
However, Sheikh Tahmina Parvin, manager of the factory said Shahida fell ill suddenly and when she was taken to Tayrunnesa Medical College Hospital, the duty doctors declared her dead. When the news reached the factory, other workers became ill out panic. The sick workers were sent to different hospitals, where two of them were admitted and four others were released after giving first aid. The news of death from drinking contaminated water was not correct, Tahmina added.
Sub-inspector of Joydebpur police station Shahidul Islam said police went to the factory to prevent any untoward situation. Masstrend Garments, along with three other garment factories in the same premise, was declared closed for the day by the authorities.
The authority provided Tk2 lakh of Shahida’s insurance and arranged for sending the body to her native village in Trishal, Mymensingh.