A 12-year-old boy, Mohammad Dipu Bepari, succumbed to his injuries at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital's (DMCH) burns unit with third-degree burns.
Dipu was burned along with six other employees of a shoe factory in a fire on Monday. He suffered 90% burns on his body. One other worker, Sabbir, 24, died in the fire.
All the injured workers are being treated at the DMCH. They were identified as Rubel, 24, with 60% burns, Babu, 22, and Mohammad Jarif, 16, with 30% burns, Mohammad Sentu, 34, with 24%, Sohel Rana, 22, has 20%, and Mohammad Uzzal, 24, around 19% burns.
Prof Sazzad Khondokar of the Burn and Plastic Surgery department of DMCH told the Dhaka Tribune: "Dipu is being treated and we are trying our best, but the fire severely damaged his respiratory system. In such cases, it is difficult to predict anything about recovery."
Dipu from Kotwali of Faridpur district has been working at the factory's packaging department for a year and half, for which he earns Tk1000 monthly.
The factory was rushing to meet a tight schedule leading to Eid holidays.
Barely able to speak, Dipu told the Dhaka Tribune: "I had dreamt of buying a colourful shirt for myself and something for my mother for Eid but now I am sorry I won't be able to do so."
Dipu's father Mohammad Rashid told the Dhaka Tribune his only son was sent to work because he was uninterested in studying. "But we never imagined such misfortune would strike our family," he said.
His mother Rima Begum said on that day Dipu went back to work after lunch, because of work pressures. She said: "If I knew this would happen, I would never let my son go back!"
Doctors said condition of all the injured workers was not good, because they had severe respiratory damage.
This was not the first fire at the shoe factory, a fire also started on the third day of Ramadan.
Relatives of the victims said the owner Hazi Murad failed to take steps to improve safety.
Atiqul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Chawkbazar police station told the Dhaka Tribune, a relative of the young man who died in the fire has filed a case of unnatural death. He said they are investigating the fire, if it was due to negligence, they will take action against the owner.
However, police are yet to make any arrests.
