A fire at Sitakunda Container Depot in Bangladesh caused a huge chemical explosion that killed 38 people and injured more than 300.
There was a concern about the balance sheet getting worse, with some of those who were hurt in critical condition. Voluntary rescuers were sometimes seen in flip-flops removing corpses from the charred and debris-strewn dump. They claimed that there were still some inside.
On Saturday evening, a fire broke out at a Sitakunda warehouse. It is located about 40 km from Chittagong's major port in the southeast. Many firefighters raced to the scene to extinguish the flames, but within an hour, several chemical containers had exploded.
A huge explosion shaken buildings several kilometers away.
"The explosion sent fireballs up into the sky. The explosion sent fireballs into the sky, like rain. "We were so afraid that we fled immediately," Mohgammad Ali (a 60-year old grocer) said.
"The explosion threw my about ten metres from where I was. Tofael Ahmed (a truck driver) said that his hands and legs were burned after the explosion.
According to Fire Chief Brigadier General Main Uddin, the deposit contained hydrogen peroxide. This chemical has multiple industrial uses. He said, "We have not been able bring the fire under control because of the presence of this chemical."
According to Mujibur Rahman (director), the depot employed 600 people. He claimed that he didn't know the cause of the fire.
Mominur Rahman (chief administrator for Chittagong) announced the opening a probe.
He also stated to AFP that 200 soldiers were called in to assist, mainly to stop chemicals from leaking into the ocean.
Rahman stated that the depot contained clothing worth millions of dollars and was to be exported to Western nations.
Chittagong is the gateway to approximately 90% of Bangladesh's annual trade worth $100 billion. The global economic recovery following the pandemic has seen a revival of activity at this port.
In Bangladesh, safety standards are not well respected, fires are common. 54 people were killed in a fire that erupted at a large food processing plant just outside Dhaka's capital. In February 2020, 70 people were killed in another fire that destroyed several Dhaka apartment buildings.
