Bangladesh
Dhaka fire: UK deeply saddened
Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) - British Secretary of State for Department for International Development Penny Mordaunt has expressed deep shock over the loss of lives following a big fire incident in the city.
Govt to give compensation to Chawkbazar fire victims: Quader
Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) –Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday said the government will provide compensation to the victims of Chawkbazar fire.
BNP pays homage to Language Movement martyrs
Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) - BNP on Thursday paid homage to the 1952 Language Movement martyrs marking Amar Ekushey, the Language Martyrs Day and the International Mother Language Day.
Stand beside Chawkbazar fire victims’ families: President
Dhaka, Feb 21(UNB)- President Abdul Hamid on Thursday urged all to stand beside the families of those killed and injured in the fire incident at Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka.
Chawkbazar fire in pictures
A huge fire broke out at a chemical warehouse and raged through four adjacent buildings in the Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area on Wednesday night. At least 70 people were killed and around 50 others injured in the incident. The death toll may rise, according to officials.
PM orders providing proper treatment to Chawkbazar fire victims
Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB)- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday ordered the authorities concerned to provide proper treatment to the injured people and necessary support to the families of those killed in the fire incident at Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka.
PM's press secretary Ihsanul Karim said that the Prime Minister expressed profound shock at the loss of lives in the fire incident.
She conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members of the deceased and prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul.
According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence the death toll from the fire that broke out on Wednesday night in a chemical warehouse jumped to 70 till this morning.
67 killed in Chawkbazar chemical warehouse fire: Officials
Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) – At least 67 people were killed and around 41 others injured in a devastating fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse and raged through four other adjacent buildings in the city’s Chawkbazar area on Wednesday night.
Duty officer at the Fire Service Central Control Room Rasel Shikder told UNB around 9pm that the firefighters recovered 67 bodies from the spot.
Selim Reza, Additional Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka, also said 67 bodies were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
However, Major AKM Shakil Newaz, Director (Operation and Maintenance) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, at a press briefing on the spot in the morning told reporters that a total of 70 bodies were recovered from the buildings.
Besides, duty officer at the Fire Service control room Rasel Shikder told UNB around 4:15pm that 11 others succumbed to their injuries at the DMCH.
Shakil Newaz said 41 people were rescued alive while the flame was doused at 6:30am. A total of 39 units of firefighters took part in extinguishing the fire.
Two helicopters of Bangladesh Air Force sprayed water and chemical from the sky to help douse the flame and keep the atmosphere of the area cool, said Rasel.
The rescue operation was called off at 12:22pm, Rasel said, adding that two units of firefighters, however, remained deployed there.
Mahfuz Rivan, a control room duty officer, all the bodies were sent to the DMCH for autopsy.
The deceased included five women and three children and 67 bodies were kept at the mortuary, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police camp.
He said 16 injured people were admitted to the hospital while 21 others received primary treatment.
Meanwhile, a heart-wrenching scene was enacted outside the DMCH morgue throughout Thursday, with the wailing of the near and dear ones of those killed in the horrific fire incident in Old Dhaka.
People who survived the fire but had family members missing started thronging the morgue since morning.
Forty victims were identified and the bodies of 38 of them were handed over to their relatives till filing of this report around 9pm, said hospital sources.
Thirty-six of the identified deceased are Arafat, Shahadat Hossain, Helal Uddin, Enamul Haque Kazi, Mosharraf Hossain, Kamal Hossain, Siddique Ullah, Wasi Uddin, Syed Khabir, Jummon, Ali Hossain, Yamin Khan Roni, Morshed Alam, Mithu, Sajib, Hafez Md Kawsar, Abdur Rahim alias Dulal, Mahir, Sonia, Abu Bakkar Siddique, Imtiaz Imroze Rasu, Masud Rana, Mabubur Rahman Raju, Ashraf Haque Rajan, Omar Faruk, Md Ali, Apu Raihan, Jasim Uddin, Md Raju, Md Nayan Khan, Ayesha Khatun, Anwar Hossain, Siam Arafat, Mojibur Hawladar, Alauddin Mahi and Nur Hossain.
US recognises International Mother Language Day
Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) - The House of Representatives of the USA has introduced a resolution recognising “International Mother Language Day” on February 21 to commemorate the day when Bangladeshi students sacrificed their lives for recognition of Bangla as state language of Pakistan in 1952.
Nation pays tributes to language martyrs
Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) – The nation paid their rich tributes to the martyrs of the 1952 historic Language Movement on Thursday, marking 'Amar Ekushey', the Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day.
President, PM pay homage to language heroes
Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) - President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday paid homage to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar at one minute past midnight on the occasion of Amar Ekushey and the International Mother Language Day.