Firefighters find it hard to put out Rupganj factory fire

Firefighters are still conducting their operation to douse sporadic pocket fires on a top floor of the juice factory of Hashem Foods Ltd at Rupganj, Narayanganj that caught fire almost 15 hours back.   

The massive fire that swept through the six-storey building in Bhulta Karnagop area of Rupganj, Narayanganj broke out at 5 pm on Thursday, killing at least three people and injuring 25 others.

"Though the fire was brought under control around 12:35 am Friday, firefighters are engaged to douse the flame on the sixth floor of the building as pocket fires continued to break out," said Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of the fire service and civil defence in Narayanganj district.

Arefin said a "dumping operation" is still going on inside the building. "The exact number of casualties can't be confirmed yet as more bodies might be recovered from the debris," he said.

Immediately after the incident, two bodies were recovered from the building. The deceased were identified as factory workers Mina Akhter, 33, and Shapna Rani 45.

Later, another worker, Mursalin, 28, who jumped from the 3rd floor, succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) around 11pm.

Ten of the injured were sent to the DMCH while 16 admitted to US Bangla Medical College and Hospital, Rupganj, said the hospital authorities.

Md Shahadat Hossain, a duty doctor of the US Bangla Medical College, confirmed the deaths of two workers.

Eight of the injured admitted to the DMCH were identified as Nahid, 23, Monjurul Islam, 25, Mohasin Hossain, 32, Abu Bakar Siddique, 40, Amena Begum, 32, Fatema Akhter, 23, Mohasin, 27 and Mazeda, 28.

Bachchu Mia, inspector in-charge of DMCH police camp, said three of the injured were shifted to DMCH's Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute as they were having breathing problems caused by smoke during the fire.

Abu Bakar Siddique, one of the injured, said, "We sustained injuries as we jumped in a hurry out of panic to get out of the building."

The number of injured and deceased may rise as seven to eight thousand workers were working inside the factory, he said.

Russel Sikder, duty officer at the control room of Fire Service and Civil Defence (headquarters), said 17 firefighter units had been working in the building to douse the flame.

Deputy assistant director Arefin, meanwhile, said the fire broke out from the second floor of the building.