At least 50 workers have been killed in a massive fire that erupted at Hashem Foods Ltd factory in Narayanganj’s Rupganj. Many more are feared trapped inside the building.
Debashish Bardhan, deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed the latest death count. “We’re still continuing the search,” he said.
The bodies have been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy, Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj's Fire Service, said on Friday.
The factory, which manufactures various juice, soft drinks and food items in the Upazila's Karnagop area caught fire around 5:30 pm on Thursday.
Although the blaze was almost tamed early Friday, the fire flared once again on the fifth and sixth floors in the morning, reports bdnews24.com.
"We are trying to extinguish the blaze using ladders but it is proving difficult to bring it under control as there are plastic and chemical materials in that part of the building,” Arefin had said earlier.
The severe heat from the blaze caused cracks in the building. The windows, including the Thai aluminium structures, are falling apart, with plumes of black smoke billowing out of the factory.
"There's no justice. I have never sought help from anyone when I provided education to my son until HSC. Where is my beloved son?" said Nazma, mother of Yasin Ripon, a worker.
Her son used to work at the chocolate unit on the fourth floor, Nazma said. He could not come out of the burning building.
Authorities of Hashem Foods Ltd, a unit of Sajeeb Group, have not revealed the number of workers who were inside the factory when the fire broke out.