A fire that caused a major chemical explosion at a container depot in Sitakunda, Bangladesh, has killed at least 38 people and injured more than 300 people, officials said on Sunday (June 5th).

A worsening of the balance sheet was to be feared, some injured being in critical condition.

Volunteer rescuers, sometimes wearing only flip-flops, were extracting corpses from the charred, debris-strewn dump, and claimed there were still some left inside.

The fire broke out at around 9:30 p.m. (1530 GMT) on Saturday at a private warehouse in Sitakunda, about 40 kilometers from the major port of Chittagong in the southeast of the country.

“There are still bodies”

Hundreds of firefighters rushed to the scene to put it out, but an hour after the disaster broke out, several containers of chemicals exploded, the fire services said.

"More than 300 people are injured" and 38 are dead, Elias Chowdhury, the region's top health official, told AFP.

According to him, several people are still missing, including journalists who covered the fire live.

"There are still bodies in the places affected by the fire. I saw eight or ten corpses," a rescue worker told the media.

Among the injured are 40 firefighters and ten police officers, Chittagong Regional Police Chief Anwar Hossain said.

"The death toll is expected to rise as some of the injured are in critical condition," he said.

"Fireballs in the Sky"

The gigantic explosion shook buildings several kilometers away, witnesses said.

"A cylinder flew about half a kilometer from the scene of the fire to land in our small pond," said Mohammad Ali, a 60-year-old grocer.

"The explosion sent fireballs into the sky. Fireballs that fell like rain. We were so scared that we immediately fled."

"The explosion threw me about ten meters from where I was. My hands and legs are burned," said Tofael Ahmed, a truck driver who was in the warehouse.

The deposit contained hydrogen peroxide, a chemical with multiple industrial uses, Fire Chief Brigadier General Main Uddin told reporters.

"We still have not been able to bring the fire under control due to the existence of this chemical," he said.

The depot employed about 600 people, said its director, Mujibur Rahman, who said he did not know the origin of the fire.

Mominur Rahman, the chief administrator of the Chittagong district, announced the opening of an investigation.

He also told AFP that around 200 soldiers had been called in to help, in particular to prevent chemicals from spilling into the sea.

Mominur Rahman said the depot also contained clothing worth millions of dollars to be exported to Western countries.

Frequent fires

Around 90% of Bangladesh's approximately $100 billion in annual trade passes through Chittagong.

This major port has been experiencing a resurgence of activity since the end of last year thanks to the post-pandemic global economic recovery.

Fires are frequent in Bangladesh, where safety standards are poorly respected.

In July 2021, 54 people died in a fire at a gigantic food processing plant outside the capital, Dhaka.

And in February 2020, 70 people died in another fire that ravaged several apartment buildings in Dhaka.

With AFP

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