At least six people have died in the fire that broke out at a cotton warehouse in Gazipur on Tuesday.
Firefighters found five more bodies in the warehouse of a spinning mill in the Sreepur upazila on Wednesday morning. A security guard, Russell, 45, succumbed to the burn injuries at the hospital on Tuesday.
The deceased are: Sujon, 30, of Nandiara village of the Aminpur upazila; Jalal, 25 of Gazipur village of the Sreepur upazila; Abir Raihan, 21, of the Haluaghat upazila of Mymensingh; Selim Kabir, 35, of the Bhannara area of the Kaliakair upazila. One of the deceased is yet to be identified.
Confirming the matter to Dhaka Tribune, Gazipur Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman said the fire originated in the mill's warehouse around 2:30pm.
Eighteen fire fighting units brought the fire under control around 1:22am on Wednesday.
Relatives’ accounts
Jalal worked at the quality-maintenance branch in the factory. His uncle, Abdul Khalek, said: “Jalal’s body was thoroughly burnt. I could only identify the body from the motorcycle keys from his pocket. He got married only three months ago to a neighbor and rest of the formalities were yet to be fulfilled.”
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Sujon’s cousin, Kamrul Hasan, went to the factory after he heard of the fire. He said: “Sujon was the eldest of four siblings. He was the head of the family. Since his death, the family‘s future seems bleak.”
His co-worker Ratan Sheikh said that, the four deceased factory workers were trying to put out the fire at the air-conditioning unit. Sujon was in-charge of the air-conditioning equipment.
Another victim, Abir Raihan, was Sujon’s assistant. His elder brother, Abu Russell, said: “Abir and I took care of the family’s needs. Now that he is gone, that burden falls on me.”
Selim Kabir was a textile engineer of Gazipur’s Kalikair upazila. His wife, Sakina, tried to rush inside the perimeter of the burnt down factory but was held down by relatives. She fainted and after regaining consciousness, was trying to frantically search for her husband. Her brother, Habibur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune that the couple has two sons – a nine-year-old and a five-month-old.
Probe committee formed
A six-member probe committee was formed to investigate the incident, Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Tarikul Islam told Dhaka Tribune.
They have been asked to submit the investigation report within the next seven working days.
