At least 16 people died and 450 were injured as a result of the explosion of a container depot in the port city of Chittagong in southeastern Bangladesh, according to local sources.
Among the victims there are also police officers and Chittagong firefighters. The injured were rushed to several hospitals in the cities of Sitakund and Chittagong, according to the newspaper “New Age Bangladesh”.
According to preliminary investigations, around 9 pm yesterday (local time) a fire broke out in the container depot. The firefighters intervened to put it out, but two hours later an explosion occurred which caused the fire to spread.
The presence of chemicals in one of the containers would have facilitated the further development of the fire, which has not yet been tamed by the fire brigade.
“About 19 fire fighting units are working to extinguish the fire and six ambulances have also arrived at the scene,” said Deputy Director of Chittagong Fire and Civil Defense Service, Md Faruk Hossain Sikdar.
In addition, the authorities of the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) have launched an appeal for the donation of blood, necessary to carry out transfusions to the wounded.
“Arrangements have been made to ensure that the injured receive the best treatment. We will bear the full cost of the treatment. Those injured in the accident will receive maximum compensation,” said Mujibur Rahman, director of BM Container Depot, a company that operates in the management of containers in the port of Chittagong.
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