Bangladesh authorities have accused BM Container Depot on Monday, 6 June, of not informing firefighters about a chemical stockpile which, in the wake of its explosion in Sitakunda, killed at least 49 and injured 450 others on 5 June.
"The depot authority did not inform us that there were deadly chemicals there. Nine of our officers were killed. Two fighters are still missing. Several people are also missing," fire department official Mohammad Kamruzzaman told AFP.
According to fire service chief Brigadier General Main Uddin, the container depot held hydrogen peroxide, and witnesses have said that the entire town shook when the chemicals exploded right after the fire at the depot.
The Director's Statement & Investigation
BM Container Depot's Director Mujibur Rahman, in a statement, said there was no clarity on what caused the fire.
"But I think the fire started from the container. Arrangements are being made to ensure that the injured get the best treatment. We will bear the entire cost of the treatment," he told The Daily Star.
"Those who were injured in the accident will be given the maximum compensation," Rahman added. In addition, we will take responsibility for all the families of all the victims," he added.
Police have yet to lay charges over the fire. "Our investigation is going on. We will look into everything," said local police chief Abul Kalam Azad.
‘The Casualties Could Have Been Much Less'
Purnachandra Mutsuddi, who was at the helm of the firefighting effort at the 26-acre facility on Saturday night, said it "didn't have any fire safety plan" and lacked adequate firefighting equipment to douse the fire before it wreaked havoc.
"They also did not inform us about the chemicals. If they did, the casualties would have been much less," he said.
"The safety plan lays out how the depot will fight and control a fire. But there was nothing," Mutsuddi, an assistant director of the Chittagong fire station, told AFP.
Who Does the BM Container Depot Belong To?
The Depot in Sitakunda, an industrial town only 40 kilometres from Chittagong Port, is jointly owned by Bangladeshi and Dutch business persons with around 600 employees, and began operations in 2012.
Its chairperson, as mentioned on the website, is Bert Pronk, a Dutch citizen, but AFP was unable get him to comment on this.
Local newspapers have reported that another of its owners is a senior official of the ruling Awami League party in Chittagong, who is also the editor-in-chief of a local Bengali daily.
The Aftermath of the Explosion
"Fire is under control. But chemicals are main problems," said fire department inspector Harunur Rashid.
The chief doctor in Chittagong, Elias Chowdhury, said that doctors at multiple hospitals were called back from holidays to help treat the injured.
Around 90 percent of Bangladesh's roughly 100 billion dollars in trade, including clothes for H&M, Walmart and others, passes through the Chittagong port at the top of the Bay of Bengal.
Rakibul Alam Chowdhury from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said that the fire destroyed about 110 million dollars worth of garments.
"It is a huge loss for the industry," he said.
(With inputs from PTI, AFP, and NDTV.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)