Explosion in garment store killed several in Bangladesh

Special Desk

At least 34 people are reportedly killed and many others are injured in a fire and explosion at a garments shipping container depot near the city of Chittagong, in Bangladesh.

Death toll from the fire has risen to 34. More than 300 people are injured, said Elias Chowdhury, the chief doctor of the region, to media.

The cause of the fire is not known yet, but it is assumed that chemicals were stored in some of the containers. Hundreds of people had arrived to tackle the fire when a number of containers exploded at the site in Sitakunda.

Hospitals where the injured have been taken for treatment have appealed for blood donations. Many of the injured are reported to be in a critical condition with burns covering 60% to 90% of their bodies.Volunteers told they saw more bodies inside the area affected by the fire. Several firefighters are among those killed and injured.

The depot contained millions of dollars of garments waiting to be exported to Western retailers, according to a regional government official. Bangladesh is a major supplier of clothing to the West.

The explosion was so large it was heard several kilometres away and shattered the windows of nearby buildings. One local shopkeeper told reporters that a piece of debris had flown half a kilometre and landed in his pond.

The fire was still burning on Sunday morning, several hours after the blast. The army has been deployed to prevent chemicals flowing into the sea.

Sitakunda is 40km from Bangladesh’s second-largest city, Chittagong. Military clinics are helping to treat the injured as the number went up causing overload for medics to handle cases immediately.