16 people died in Mirpur chemical explosion

The bodies of 16 people have been taken to the Dhaka Medical College (DMC) morgue for autopsy, who died in a devastating fire at a chemical warehouse and a garment factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday.

Md Faruk, in-charge (inspector) of the DMCH police camp said, the bodies were brought to the hospital around 8:15pm in three ambulances of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

He also confirmed that all the bodies were transported to the hospital morgue with assistance from the fire service, and in front of the emergency department, many people were seen desperately searching for their missing relatives.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters' media cell officer Talha Bin Zasim said, firefighters recovered the bodies from different parts of the three-storey garment factory.

Fire service official said that the fire started in the compound of a pharmaceutical company this morning, and they received the report of the fire at 11:40am, and the first team reached the scene at 11:56am.

Talha Bin Zasim, an officer of the Fire Service's media wing said, twelve units of fire fighting are working to douse the blaze.

He also said, they could not go up, and because of the toxic gas and the flashover (sudden ignition and fire) caused by the chemical explosion, they became unconscious and died instantly," and "The roof of the building was made of tin and thatched materials, and the rooftop exit was locked with two padlocks.