A fire at a factory in Narayanganj’s Rupganj has left at least three workers dead and 27 others injured.
The fire broke out at the factory of Hashem Foods Ltd in Bhulta Karnagope, trapping many workers inside around 5:30pm on Thursday.
The deceased have been identified by police as Swapna Rani, 34, of Sylhet, Mina Akter, 33, of Rupganj, and ‘Morsalin’, 28, of Dinajpur, reports bdnews24.com.
The injured were sent to hospital, said the district’s Superintendent of Police Zayedul Alam.
Inspector Bachchu Mia, in charge of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Morsalin was among seven victims brought to the hospital. Three of them were sent to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
The six survivors were ‘Nahid’, 23, Manjurul Islam, 25, Mohsin Hossain, 32, Abu Bakr Sddique, 40, Amena Begum, 32, and Fatema Akter, 23.
Bakr said he was injured after jumping from the burning building.
As many as 13 fire engines were working to put out the fire, said Tanharul Islam, deputy assistant director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence in Narayanganj.
The firefighters rescued 12 workers who were trapped on the second and third floors of the six-storey factory after the fire erupted on the ground floor, second floor and third floor, said Upazila chief executive or UNO Shah Nusrat.
A huge amount of raw materials at the juice and beverage factory was destroyed by the fire, but the authorities were yet to assess the extent of the damage.
Eyewitnesses said the fire had started on the second floor and spread to other parts.
Some of the trapped workers and other employees then jumped off the building to save their lives.
A long tailback developed on the Dhaka-Narayanganj Highway as a huge number of people gathered to watch the incident.
Fire Service could not immediately say how the fire had originated.
It could have been caused by gas line leaks or electric short-circuit, said Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy general manager of the factory.
At least 21 of the injured were sent to US-Bangla Hospital for treatment.