10 killed in Gazipur factory fire
The fire originated from an electric short circuit in the armature section of the Luxury Fan Factory in Baria union under Gazipur Sadar upazila at 5:45pm on Sunday
At least 10 workers were killed in a fire at a fan factory in Gazipur district on Sunday.
Five of the deceased were identified as Farid, 20; Milon, 20; Sumaia Akhtar Jannat, 27; Rashed, 35; and Shamim, 35. The identities of the remaining ones could not be ascertained as the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
Firefighters recovered the bodies and sent those to the Gazipur Shahid Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital morgue.
The fire originated from an electric short circuit in the armature section of the Luxury Fan Factory on the 2nd floor of a three-storey building in Baria union under Gazipur Sadar upazila at 5:45pm, said Mamunur Rashid, deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
Nineteen workers were working in that section at that time. Though some of the workers could come out after the fire had broken out, many of them got stuck inside due to thick layers of smoke, he said, adding that the fire soon engulfed the entire floor.
Three units of firefighters could douse the flame after one and a half hours of frantic effort at 7:15pm.
Two workers Hasan and Anowar, who suffered burn injuries in the fire, were also admitted to the Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital.
The hospital's medical officer Pranay Bhushan Das said the duo got minor injuries in hands and legs.
Meanwhile, Gazipur's Deputy Commissioner SM Tariqul Islam and Superintendent of Police Begum Shamsunnahar visited the spot after the incident.
The deputy commissioner said the district administration has formed a five-member probe committee led by an additional deputy commissioner. The committee has been asked to submit a report within seven working days.
He announced that the district administration will provide the victims' families with Tk25,000 each.
The factory owner Jahid Hasan Dhali also promised to compensate the families of the deceased as per the government rules.
On December 11, a devastating fire broke out at Prime Pet and Plastic Industries in Keraniganj, killing 19 people till Sunday.