2022 Sitakunda fire
On the night of 4 June 2022, a fire and subsequent explosions at a container depot in Sitakunda Upazila, Chittagong District, Bangladesh killed at least 47 people and injured around 450 others.[1][4][2][a]
| Date | 4 June 2022 to 7 June 2022 |
|---|---|
| Time | Start of fire: ~21:00 BST (15:00 UTC)[1] First explosion: ~23:45 BST (17:45 UTC)[1] |
| Location | BM Container Depot, Kadamrasul area, Sitakunda Upazila, Chittagong District, Bangladesh |
| Coordinates | 22°27′18″N 91°44′15″E / 22.4550°N 91.7375°ECoordinates: 22°27′18″N 91°44′15″E / 22.4550°N 91.7375°E |
| Type | Fire and explosions |
| Deaths | ≥47[2][a] |
| Non-fatal injuries | ~450[2][1] |
The incident occurred at BM Container Depot in the Kadamrasul area of Sitakunda Upazila.[1][6] After a fire started in the loading area at around 21:00 BST (15:00 UTC), a massive explosion occurred at around 23:45 BST (17:45 UTC), triggering more explosions that spread across the depot caused by ignition of chemicals stored in the containers.[1][7][8][9] The force of the explosions affected buildings several kilometres away, and one witness stated that the explosions caused a rain of fireballs.[10][11]
The head of Bangladesh's fire service stated that there was hydrogen peroxide in the depot which prevented the fire from being controlled.[10] The following afternoon, the fire was still burning and explosions were still being heard. The army had also joined efforts to fight the fire.[4][12][13] The fire was finally brought under control and ended on the afternoon of 7 June 2022.[14]
Background
BM Container Depot, a private Dutch–Bangladesh joint venture, is an inland container depot (ICD) that has been dealing with goods for import and export since 2011.[1][4][6] Mujibur Rahman, the director of the depot, stated that about 600 people were employed there.[11] The depot is one of 19 ICDs in the country.[10]
Ruhul Amin Sikder, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), stated that the depot covered about 30 acres.[11][15] The ICD had a capacity of 6,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), and was holding about 4,300 TEUs[b] worth of containers on the day of the fire.[15] Many of these were for the garment industry and contained hazardous chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide.[16]
As safety regulations are not strictly enforced in Bangladesh, fires are common in the country.[10][11]
Fire and explosions
Local emergency services and sources reported that the fire began inside the loading area of the depot around 21:00 BST (15:00 UTC).[1] Hundreds of first responders and volunteers quickly arrived at the depot and began to fight the fire.[12]
The first explosion was massive and occurred around 23:45 BST (17:45 UTC), enveloping many of those on the scene and sending many others flying through the air.[1][12][7] This initial explosion then triggered multiple subsequent explosions.[1][9] Several of the containers held flammable chemicals, and when the fire engulfed them, they caused explosions and the spread of the fire.[8]
The explosions shook the ground in the surrounding area and shattered windows of nearby buildings.[8] The force of the explosions was large enough that it affected buildings kilometres away.[4][10] The fumes from the fire were also toxic due to the chemicals involved, making the firefighting effort more difficult.[8] A district administrator stated that the fire in the depot had spread to at least seven acres.[11] The army stated that 250 troops were deploying sandbags to keep chemicals from spilling into the Indian Ocean.[10] Fire officials stated that explosions continued well into the next day, complicating efforts to fight the fire.[12]
An eyewitness stated that the explosion "sent fireballs in[to] the sky" that then fell "like rain", and that one piece of debris flew about half a kilometre (0.3 mi) from the location of the fire to near where he was.[11] One victim stated that he was standing inside the depot when the explosion threw him about 10 metres (30 ft), and that his hands and legs were burnt.[11] The main explosion was reportedly heard from 30 to 40 km (20 to 25 mi) away.[12] Many Bangladeshis compared this explosion to the 2020 Beirut explosion.[12]
Casualties
At least 47 people were killed and around 450 others injured in the incident.[17][1][4][2][a] A Chittagong health official stated that at least 350 of the injured were at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).[1] Many of those injured were in critical condition.[12] Many of those deceased were so badly burnt that a CMCH official stated that DNA profiling is needed to determine their identities.[5] Volunteers stated that there were still more bodies remaining in the depot.[10]
Brigadier General Main Uddin, Director General of the Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defence, reported that five firefighters were amongst those killed, and twenty-one amongst those injured.[20] A number of journalists who were livestreaming on social media were still missing.[10]
A Facebook streamer, Oliur Rahman Nayan, a 20-year-old worker at the BM Container Depot, died while live streaming. He started broadcasting the fire incident on Saturday night but could not continue for long as there was an explosion that severed his internet connection and ended the broadcast.[21]
Damage
BICDA spokesperson Sikder estimated that more than US$20 million worth of empty containers and more than US$90 million worth of containers with goods were destroyed in the disaster.[15] Some of the goods stored in the depot were to be shipped for clothing brand H&M, and about 100 TEUs worth of goods were to be shipped for an unnamed European brand, but it is unclear if any of these goods were damaged.[15]
Investigation
Multiple committees were being formed to investigate the incident.[22]
During the parliamentary session, MP Harunur Rashid suggested the government form an impartial inquiry committee to find out whether the fire was intentional. He also criticized the government for not arresting the owner of the BM container depot in the incident.[23]
On 6 July 2022, the investigation committee submitted its investigation report to the Chittagong Divisional Commissioner. The report noted that the depot contained hydrogen peroxide. The owner of the depot was blamed for the explosion, citing a hydrogen peroxide explosion. The report also recommends amending the current DG Cargo Act, 1953.[24]
Response
Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, was in "deep shock and sorrow" due to the severity of the incident, and requested that authorities provide treatment to those injured.[25] The government announced that families of those deceased would receive 50,000 BDT (522.90 EUR[c]) in compensation, while those injured would receive 20,000 BDT (209.16 EUR[c]).[27]
On 6 June, the Communist Party of Bangladesh organized a protest in Dhaka. At the rally, they called the incident a "murder" and demanded appropriate punishment for the culprit.[28] Rumeen Farhana criticized the government in the parliament session over the incident. Comparing the incident to the act of murder, she said that the director of BM Container Depot is a member of the ruling party Awami League, who was responsible for storing flammable substances in the depot in dangerous condition without following the rules and regulations.[29]
See also
- 2010 Dhaka fire: Known as Nimtoli tragedy, killing at least 124
- 2012 Dhaka garment factory fire: at least 117 died trapped behind locked exits
- 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse: Bangladesh's worst industrial disaster, which killed 1,134
- 2019 Dhaka fire: at least 80 died in a dense section of Old Dhaka
- 2021 Rupganj factory fire: at least 52 died in a food and drink factory near Dhaka
- 2022 Hapur chemical plant explosion: another fatal industrial fire on the Indian subcontinent that occurred on the same day as the Sitakunda fire
Notes
- ^ a b c NTV reported that the number of deaths rose to 47 after two of the injured victims died in hospital on the ninth day, while The Business Standard reported that those two deaths brought the total to 48.[2][18] The Dhaka Tribune also reported the two deaths, but added that additional remains were found at the depot on the tenth day, and stated that the death toll had risen to 49.[19]
- ^ This value includes empty containers.[15]
- ^ a b EUR value based on exchange rate of 95.62 BDT/EUR on 5 June 2022.[26]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Pimple Barua (5 June 2022). "40 killed, over 450 injured in Chittagong container depot fire". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "সীতাকুণ্ড ট্রাজেডি : চিকিৎসাধীন আরও একজনের মৃত্যু | NTV Online". www.ntvbd.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ Alam, Julhas (5 June 2022). "At least 49 dead in 2nd day of Bangladesh cargo depot fire". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bangladesh: Deadly fire and explosions at container facility". Al Jazeera. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Depot fire: Many bodies burnt beyond recognition". www.dhakatribune.com. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b Alam, Julhas (5 June 2022). "At least 49 dead in 2nd day of Bangladesh cargo depot fire". Washington Post. AP. from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b Paul, Ruma (5 June 2022). "Firefighters still working to put out deadly Bangladesh container blaze". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d Jeong, Sophie; Rebane, Teele; Haq, Sana Noor (5 June 2022). "Fire tears through Bangladesh container depot killing 37 and injuring hundreds". CNN. from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Bangladesh depot fire leaves dozens dead, many others injured | DW | 5 June 2022". DW. 5 June 2022. from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Bangladesh port depot fire kills 49, injures 300". Arab News. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "At least 49 dead in ongoing Bangladesh cargo depot fire". France 24. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bangladesh: 16 killed, scores injured in depot blast". BBC News. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Chittagong depot fire: Army joins rescue operation". www.dhakatribune.com. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Bangladesh shipping depot fire brought under control after 3 days". from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Illius, Shamsuddin; Chowdhury, Shahadat Hossain (5 June 2022). "Ctg depot fire causes over $110 million losses: BICDA". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022 – via archive.ph.
- ^ "At least 34 killed and scores injured in Bangladesh depot fire". AFP. 4 June 2022. from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022 – via The Guardian.
- ^ "Bangladesh officials say depot fire exacerbated by mislabelled chemicals". BBC News. 6 June 2022. from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "CTG depot fire: 2 more injured die, death toll reaches 48". www.tbsnews.net. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Depot fire: Remains of one more body recovered". www.dhakatribune.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Sitakunda fire: 8 firefighters killed in line of duty". www.dhakatribune.com. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Worker who died during Facebook live at Sitakunda depot". www.dhakatribune.com. 5 June 2022. from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Rahman, Al; Emon, Baizid (5 June 2022). "সীতাকুণ্ডে বিএম কনটেইনার ডিপোর ঘটনা তদন্তে কমিটি" [Committee to investigate the incident at BM Container Depot in Sitakunda]. banglanews24.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022 – via archive.ph.
- ^ "আন্তর্জাতিক ষড়যন্ত্র আছে কিনা তদন্ত চাইলেন বিএনপির হারুন". Samakal (in Bengali). 5 June 2022. from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "বিএম কন্টেইনার ডিপো দুর্ঘটনায় ব্যবস্থাপনা কর্তৃপক্ষ ও মালিকদের অবহেলাই দায়ী: তদন্ত কমিটি" [Management committee and owners responsible for BM container depot accident: Committee of Inquiry]. Tbsnews.net (in Bengali). 6 July 2022. from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ "PM Hasina shocked at loss of lives in Sitakunda depot fire". Dhaka Tribune. 5 June 2022. from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "EUR/BDT Currency Exchange Rate & News - Google Finance". www.google.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Depot fire: Ministry to provide 2L compensation for families of deceased". www.dhakatribune.com. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022.
- ^ "সীতাকুণ্ডে বিস্ফোরণে প্রাণহানির জন্য দায়ীদের শাস্তির দাবিতে সিপিবির বিক্ষোভ". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 6 June 2022. from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "সীতাকুণ্ডের ঘটনাকে 'হত্যাকাণ্ড' বলে দাবি ব্যারিস্টার রুমিনের". Naya Diganta (in Bengali). 6 June 2022. from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.