18 killed in Chattogram container depot fire

At least eighteen people were killed and more than four hundred others injured after a massive fire broke out at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda in Chattogram on Saturday night. 

Three members of the fire service are among the deceased. 

The injured people were admitted to the different hospitals including Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and Combined Military Hospital (CMH). 

A total of 25 units of the fire service are working to douse the blaze. 

However, the leaves of all physicians in Chattogram have been cancelled. Chattogram Civil Surgeon has urged the doctors of private hospitals to join the work at government hospitals including CMCH.  

Witnesses said, there were fifty thousand containers in the depot. The fire might be originated from combustible materials kept there. 

Md Shahjahan Shikder, Acting Officer (Media Cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence Head Quarters, said a fire was reported at BM Container Depot in Chittagong’s Sitakunda at 11:25 pm on Saturday. 

On information, eight units of fire service rushed to spot and later eight other units also went there to douse the blaze. Now, 25 fire service units are working there, he said. 

According to police and fire service, the fire spread from one container to another container around 10:45pm. Later, an explosion occurred due to the presence of chemicals in one of the containers.