United News of Bangladesh

All charges and fees will be waved for non-scheduled additional flights for the next three days to ease passengers’ suffering after the fire incident at Dhaka airport, said Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin on Sunday. “A total of 21 flights were either diverted or cancelled on Saturday following the massive fire at the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport,” he told reporters after inspecting the post-fire situation at the airport He said efforts began on Saturday night to assist passengers whose travel abroad was disrupted, particularly those traveling for jobs, medical treatment, or family emergencies. “Flight operations resumed at 9 pm last night and have been running uninterrupted since then,” he added. Expressing regret over passenger inconvenience, Sheikh Bashir Uddin said, “We arranged hotel accommodation, food, and other necessary support for affected passengers. Despite our efforts, we sincerely apologize for the hardship they faced.” Smoke still billowing from cargo village at Shahjalal Airport 23 hours after fire Regarding losses, he said, “Our damage assessment is ongoing. The area where imported goods were stored has been completely damaged. We are assessing the total loss by weight and sector.” Addressing concerns about the delay in firefighting, the adviser said, “As the airport is a KPI area it has its own firefighting unit which responded immediately upon receiving the alert. The Fire Service units arrived within about 10 minutes. In total, 37 units worked to bring the blaze under control with WASA assisting in water supply.” He added that all relevant investigation and intelligence agencies will work together to uncover the cause of the fire. “During the firefighting, it was not possible to remove the goods, but every aspect will be taken into account during the inquiry,” he said. Exporters scramble to assess losses after airport fire The adviser also said cargo operations have resumed, and commercial activities will continue round the clock seven days a week. “We are also reviewing the insurance coverage of the affected parties,” he added.

Nearly 23 hours after a devastating fire broke out at the cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, firefighters are still struggling to fully extinguish the flames. As of Sunday noon, smoke was still seen billowing from the import godown near Gate-8 of the airport. Duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters control room, Lima Khanom, told UNB around 1 pm, “The fire has not been completely extinguished yet. Our operation is ongoing. We will inform you once it is fully doused.” The blaze erupted between 2:15 pm and 2:30 pm on Saturday at the airport’s import cargo village. Within moments, it spread rapidly, burning down two of the three sections of the cargo complex before reaching the chemical godown near Gate-8. Exporters scramble to assess losses after airport fire The Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence said around 10 pm on Saturday that the fire had been brought under control but not fully extinguished, adding that it would take more time. Even by Sunday noon, the operation was still ongoing. Flight operations at the airport resumed normally after 9 pm on Saturday, according to the authorities. A six-member probe committee has been formed to investigate the incident, with instructions to submit its report within five working days. At least 37 personnel, including two firefighters, 25 Ansar members, and 10 others from different agencies, sustained injuries while battling the blaze. Though the incident is among the most severe in the airport’s history, no major casualties were reported. Internal Resources Division forms committee to probe Shahjalal fire This is the first time 37 Fire Service units worked simultaneously to control such a large airport fire. Around 5,000 members of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), including officers from six police stations under Uttara Division, joined the operation alongside the army, navy, air force, Ansar, RAB and Fire Service teams. Officials said the coordinated efforts helped bring the massive blaze under control more quickly.