Dozens killed, hundreds injured in Bangladesh container depot fire

A massive fire swept through an inland container depot in southeastern Bangladesh, killing at least 49 people and injuring more than 300, officials have said.

The fire broke out at a container facility early on Saturday at Sitakunda, 40 kilometres from the port city of Chittagong, triggering multiple container explosions after a huge blast, at the site, officials said.

Firefighters were still working to put out the fire on Sunday, said fire service official Faruk Hossain Shikder. The explosion shook the neighbourhood and shattered glasses of windows of nearby houses, local residents said.

The death toll could rise as some of the injured are in critical condition, said Chittagong civil surgeon Mohammed Elias Hossain. He urged all doctors in the district to help tackle the situation and called for emergency blood donations.

At least nine firefighters were among the dead, according to Brig. Gen. Main Uddin, director general of the Bangladesh fire service and civil defence. Another 10 firefighters were being treated for burn injuries, he added.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze. 

Fire service officials said they suspect it may have originated from a container of hydrogen peroxide and spread quickly to other containers.

READ MORE: Dozens dead in Bangladesh ferry fire

History of industrial disasters

Bangladesh has a history of industrial disasters, including factories catching fire with workers trapped inside. 

Monitoring groups have blamed corruption and lax enforcement for deadly incidents over the years.

Global brands, which employ tens of thousands of low-paid workers in Bangladesh, have come under fire to improve factory conditions in recent years. In the country's massive garment industry, which employs about four million people, safety conditions have improved significantly after massive reforms, but experts say accidents could still occur if other sectors do not make similar changes.

In 2012, about 117 workers died when they were trapped behind locked exits in a garment factory in Dhaka.

The country’s worst industrial disaster occurred the following year, when the Rana Plaza garment factory outside Dhaka collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people.

In 2019, a blaze ripped through a 400-year-old area cramped with apartments, shops and warehouses in the oldest part of Dhaka and killed at least 67 people. Another fire in Old Dhaka in a house illegally storing chemicals killed at least 123 people in 2010.

In 2021, a fire at a food and beverage factory outside Dhaka killed at least 52 people, many of whom were trapped inside by an illegally locked door.

READ MORE: Thousands left homeless as blaze hits Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh