Factory fire
Narayanganj fire: Unicef mourns death of children
Unicef has mourned the children who were killed in a recent factory fire in Narayanganj's Rupganj.
"We offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who died, were injured, or remain unaccounted for," said Unicef Representative in Bangladesh Tomoo Hozumi Sunday.
With over 50 casualties reported, as many as 16 or more of these may be children, Unicef said.
Also read: Narayanganj fire: ITUC deeply concerned over 52 workers' death
"As families continue to search for their missing children, Unicef is working with the government to dispatch social workers to support children and families in Rupganj," said Hozumi.
"This tragic incident brings to light yet again that despite laws that should protect them, many children in Bangladesh are not only working, but they are working in hazardous conditions, he added.
According to the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019, over 4 million children are working, and more than 3 million of these children are trapped in the worst forms of child labour that involve hazardous working conditions.
Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples
"The horrific deaths and suffering, which could have been avoided, are a stark reminder that all stakeholders must act now to protect children and must enforce compliance with the Children Act 2013, as well as child labour and occupational safety laws," Hozumi said.
At least 52 people died in a fire Thursday at a factory in Narayanganj's Rupganj, the latest industrial disaster in the country.
The International Trade Union Confederation Bangladesh Council Saturday called for making the results of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments' work on anomalies of the factory – especially the recruitment of child workers – public.
Factory Fire: HC says compensation to be decided after identification of bodies
The High Court said on Sunday it will wait until identification of the bodies recovered from the burnt factory in Rupganj before giving its ruling on compensation to the families of the victims.
The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim described Thursday’s massive fire at Hashem Foods factory a as terrible in responding to a writ petition seeking compensation for proper treatment of the injured and to families of the deceased.
At least 52 people died and many were injured in the fire, one of the country’s worst factory fire.
The writ petition was filed on behalf of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh Legal and Services Trust, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association (BELA) and Safety and Rights Society.
Lawyers ZI Khan Panna, Sara Hossain, SM Rezaul Karim, Anik R Haque and Shahinuzzaman stood for the petition. Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswas represented the state.
Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples
After the lawyer Sara Hossain presented the writ, the court said that the concern was legitimate, but the issues needed to be given a reasonable time for the remedy.
The judge said of the 52 bodies found, only one was handed over to family as it has been identified. The process would take at least 21 days and the compensation amount could be determined once the bodies were identified.
About the transparency of the investigation Justice Enayetur said that the court was observing how it goes.
During this time, the HC also asked the Attorney General to contact the Health Secretary and the Labour Secretary to look into the treatment of the injured.
The petition sought directions to pay Tk 1 crore to the families of each worker killed in the fire and Tk 35 lakh to each injured. However, Tk 10 lakh for the deceased and Tk 5 lakh for the injured have been sought as interim compensation.
Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Tk 50,00 medical assistance provided to injured
The fire broke out at the factory located in Karnagop area of Rupganj upazila on July 8 at 6 pm.
Eighteen units of fire service including Demra and Kanchan brought the terrible fire under control after a 29-hour effort. However, 52 lives were lost during this period. Many workers were injured.
A case has been registered under sections 302, 326, 325, 323, 324 and 307 for murder and murder accusation. Eight people, including Sajeeb Group Chairman, Abul Hashem were arrested in the case.
On July 10, a Narayanganj court remanded the eight people for four days.
Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples
Family members on Saturday claimed 40 out of the 48 unidentified bodies burnt to the bone at the Rupganj factory fire, said CID DNA Assistant Analyst Nusrat Yasmin.
DNA samples were collected from 56 people on behalf of the claimants' families, she added.
“We have already taken samples from 48 unidentified bodies at the DMCH morgue. Forty of those bodies were claimed by family members today.”
“We have collected 56 samples from the claimants, we will deliver the bodies to the family as soon as we get a match,” she added.
DNA collected from the burnt bodies is being matched with DNA collected from articles of clothing or other items submitted by claimant families.
Locked inside a facility with no fire exit, 52 lives were burnt to ashes caused by the Rupganj factory fire in Narayanganj.
It took around 27 hours for 18 firefighting units to douse the fire completely as at some floors had huge inflammable substances stockpiled.
Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames
Firefighters recovered 49 bodies from the 4th floor of the building and sent those to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s morgue, taking the death toll to 52 from the tragic incident. Only one of the 49 bodies could be identified, as the rest were completely burnt.
Earlier, three deaths from the accident were confirmed by the authorities of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and US Bangla Medical College and Hospital, Rupganj on Thursday.
As more details emerged of the catastrophe, it became clear that the workers were left with no chance in the face of the raging inferno, that has been further fuelled by combustible items such as ghee, butter, oil and polybags stored on each floor.
Even so, the workers may have had a chance at escape, if only the building code had been maintained to provide an emergency exit, or the management had not implemented the medieval practice of locking the gates of the factory floors, that carried undertones of the horrific Tazreen Garments fire in 2012 that killed at least 112.
Deputy Director of the Fire Service Debashish Bardhan confirmed to UNB that rescue workers had to literally break down the locked collapsible gate on the building's 4th floor to go in and recover the bodies. That is where they found 49 of the bodies, burnt to a pulp overnight on the factory floor.
Most of the bodies were in a recognisable state. Narayanganj Additional Deputy Commissioner (Overall) Shamim Bepari said they would be handed over to their relatives after DNA testing to identify them. They have already been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy and DNA test.
Also read: Rupganj fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, sons among 8 put on remand
A Narayanganj court on Saturday placed the eight people, including the chairman of Sajeeb Group, his four sons and the group CEO, on a four-day remand each following their arrest in connection with the Rupganj factory fire case.
Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Fahmida Khanam passed the order in the afternoon after a hearing as police produced the arrestees before the court seeking a 10-day remand for them, inspector Asaduzzaman told the UNB correspondent from the court.
Earlier in the day, Narayanganj police arrested Md Abul Hashem, chairman of the group, his four sons -- Hashem Bin Hashem, Tareq Ibrahim, Tawsib Ibrahim and Tanjim Ibrahim-- and its CEO Shahan Sha Azad, DGM Mamunur Rashid and head of admin Salauddin in the connection with the tragic fire in the factory owned by the group that claimed the lives of 52 people so far.
Earlier, police filed a case with Rupganj police station against the eight people and many unknown others following the massive fire in the factory, said Superintendent of Police in the district Md Zaidul Alam.
Group CEO Shahan Sha Azad was arrested from the company’s head office in the capital’s Farmgate area, while Chairman Hashem from his Gulshan residence, SP Alam said.
Narayanganj fire: ITUC deeply concerned over 52 workers' death
The International Trade Union Confederation Bangladesh Council (ITUC-BC) Saturday expressed deep concern over the death of 52 workers and injury of more than 30 in a fire at Hashem Food and Beverage factory in Narayanganj's Rupganj.
ITUC-BC Chairman Anwar Hossain and Secretary General Md Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan demanded legal action against "the culprits as it appears that the authorities killed the workers in a planned way by blocking the exit of the factory and preventing rescuers from entering the building during the fire."
Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames
The global trade union federation demanded compensation for deceased workers' families, according to international standards; rehabilitation and compensation for the injured.
ITUC-BC said factory fires are recurring due to inefficiency, negligence and indifference of the concerned authorities. It urged the government to form a judicial inquiry committee against all those, directly and indirectly, responsible for the incident.
Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested
Also, the global trade union federation called for making the results of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments' work on anomalies of the factory – especially the recruitment of child workers – public.
Rupganj factory fire: Tk 50,000 medical assistance provided to injured
The injured workers undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital in connection with the massive factory fire in Rupganj were given medical assistance of Tk 50,000 from the Bangladesh Workers Welfare Foundation fund under the Ministry of Labor and Employment on Saturday.
Today, the secretary of the ministry KM Abdus Salam handed over a check of Tk 50,000 for medical aid to each of the three workers undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
A total of Tk 11 lakh has been handed over to 22 injured workers including those undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College and a private hospital in Rupganj.
Besides, Tk 2 lac will be provided to the deceased upon confirming their identities, KM Abdus Salam told reporters.
Earlier on Friday, State Minister for Labor and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian pledged that Legal action will be taken against the owners of the Rupganj factory where over 50 workers died in a fire, if there is evidence of their negligence.
Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames
It is when she said that the family of the deceased would be provided with Tk 2 lac and the injured Tk 50,000 tomorrow from the Bangladesh Workers Welfare Foundation fund under the labor ministry.
Earlier on Saturday, police arrested Md Abul Hashem, chairman of the group Sajeeb Group that owns the factory, his four sons -- Hashem Bin Hashem, Tareq Ibrahim, Tawsib Ibrahim and Tanjim Ibrahim-- and its CEO Shahan Sha Azad, DGM Mamunur Rashid and head of admin Salauddin.
The eight will be produced before court later in the day, said Superintendent of Police (Narayanganj) Md Zaidul Alam.
So far 52 workers, some of them reportedly teen-aged boys and girls, were killed in the devastating fire that tore through the seven-story factory that produced foods and beverages such as juice, cold drinks, toast biscuits and laccha semai.
According to the fire service, huge amount of plastic and packaging materials in the building may have fuelled the fire in just a few minutes after it broke out.
They said the blocked door at the factory’s staircase has caused so many deaths that could have been avoided.
Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested
It took around 27 hours for 18 fire fighting units to douse the blaze completely as at some floors huge amounts of inflammable substances were stockpiled.
On Friday noon, after breaking the locked door of the fourth floor, fire fighters discovered rows of bodies burnt to ashes.
Fire fighters recovered 49 bodies from the floor and sent them to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s morgue, which took the death toll to 52 from the tragic incident. None of the 49 bodies could be identified yet as they have completely been charred.
Three others died from injuries after jumping off the building on Thursday.
Rupganj fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, sons among 8 put on remand
A Narayanganj court on Saturday placed the eight people, including the chairman of Sajeeb Group, his four sons and the group CEO, on a four-day remand each following their arrest in connection with the Rupganj factory fire case.
Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Fahmida Khanam passed the order in the afternoon after a hearing as police produced the arrestees before the court seeking a 10-day remand for them, inspector Asaduzzaman told the UNB correspondent from the court.
Earlier in the day, Narayanganj police arrested Md Abul Hashem, chairman of the group, his four sons -- Hashem Bin Hashem, Tareq Ibrahim, Tawsib Ibrahim and Tanjim Ibrahim-- and its CEO Shahan Sha Azad, DGM Mamunur Rashid and head of admin Salauddin in the connection with the tragic fire in the factory owned by the group that claimed the lives of 52 people so far.
Earlier, police filed a case with Rupganj police station against the eight people and many unknown others following the massive fire in the factory, said Superintendent of Police in the district Md Zaidul Alam.
Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested
Group CEO Shahan Sha Azad was arrested from the company’s head office in the capital’s Farmgate area, while Chairman Hashem from his Gulshan residence, SP Alam said.
Home minister says none will be spared after police arrest eight people over factory fire
The government will not spare any one responsible for the devastating factory fire in Rupganj, Home Minister Asaduzzman Khan said on Saturday after announcing the arrest of eight people, including the owner of the enterprise, in this connection.
The home minister was talking to reporters after visiting the burnt Hashem Foods factory, a concern of Sajeeb Group, at Bhulta under Rupganj in Narayanganj.
Police said they arrested Md Abul Hashem, chairman of the group Sajeeb Group that owns the factory, his four sons -- Hashem Bin Hashem, Tareq Ibrahim, Tawsib Ibrahim and Tanjim Ibrahim-- and its CEO Shahan Sha Azad, DGM Mamunur Rashid and head of admin Salauddin.
The eight will be produced before court later in the day, said Superintendent of Police (Narayanganj) Md Zaidul Alam.
Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested
“None will be spared if their negligence is proven behind the factory fire,” the home minster said.
So far 52 workers, some of them reportedly teen-aged boys and girls, were killed in the devastating fire that tore through the seven-story factory that produced foods and beverages such as juice, cold drinks, toast biscuits and laccha semai.
Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested
Narayanganj police arrested eight people, including the chairman of Sajeeb Group, his four sons and the CEO of the group, on Saturday (July 10, 2021) in connection with the fire in a juice factory belonging to the Group in Rupganj that left 52 people dead.
The arrestees are Md Abul Hashem chairman of the group, his four sons -- Hashem Bin Hashem, Tareq Ibrahim, Tawsib Ibrahim and Tanjim Ibrahim, and its CEO Shahan Sha Azad, DGM Mamunur Rashid and head of admin Salauddin.
Read Rupganj fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, sons among 8 put on remand
Superintendent of Police in the district Md Zaidul Alam told UNB that the arrested eight people will be produced before the district court later in the day.
Earlier, police filed a case with Rupganj police station against the eight people and many unknown others following the massive fire in the factory, he said.
READ: Rupganj factory: Legal action against owner if negligence found, warns State Minister
Group CEO Shahan Sha Azad was arrested from the company’s head office in the capital’s Farmgate area, while Chairman Hashem from his Gulshan residence, SP Zaidul Alam said.
The devastating fire that swept through the seven-storey building housing the juice factory of Hashem Foods Ltd at Bhulta Karnagop in Rupganj, Narayanganj broke out around 5 pm on Thursday.
Read Narayanganj fire: India, Canada deeply saddened by loss of lives
According to the fire service, huge amount of plastic and packaging materials in the building fueled the fire in just a few minutes after it broke out.
They said the blocked door at the factory’s staircase has caused so many deaths that could have been avoided.
READ: Rupganj factory fire: Fire Service forms 5-member probe body
It took around 27 hours for 18 firefighting units to douse the fire completely as at some floors huge amounts of inflammable substances were stockpiled.
On Friday noon, after breaking the locked door of the fourth floor, firefighters discovered rows of bodies burnt to ashes.
Read Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples
Firefighters recovered 49 bodies from the floor and sent them to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s morgue, which took the death toll to 52 from the tragic incident. None of the 49 bodies could be identified yet as they have completely burnt to black.
Earlier, three deaths from the accident were confirmed by the authorities of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and US Bangla Medical College and Hospital, Rupganj on Thursday.
Read Death toll from Rupganj factory fire jumps to 52
So far, three probe bodies have been formed to investigate the incident.
Factory fires: Bangladesh's recurring nightmare
Bangladesh, the second-largest garment exporter after China, has a long history of industrial disasters and abuses, including factory fires with workers trapped behind locked exits.
Lax enforcement of safety standards and unsafe working conditions in its factories makes fires a tragedy of the commons here, largely in the apparel sector which accounts for about 80% of the country's exports.
Industrial safety in Bangladesh has repeatedly come under intense scrutiny following each disaster. Although public outcry followed each trauma and tragedy, working conditions in garment factories have remained largely unchanged.
Weeping family members of missing workers waiting anxiously to learn the fate of their loved ones has become a regular sight.
The authorities promised better safety standards after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building, which killed more than 1,100 workers and injured hundreds in 2013 in Bangladesh's apparel industry's biggest disaster.
Also read: Trapped in a building with no fire exit and gates locked, workers were burned to a pulp
The collapse led to better labour conditions and tougher safety rules. But many local industries failed to maintain safety compliance, leading to accidents each year.
Trapped in a building with no fire exit and gates locked, workers were burned to a pulp
Fire fighters have still not managed to extinguish the fire in a seven-storey factory of Hashem Foods Ltd, a subsidiary of the Sajeeb Group, in Bhulta of Rupganj, more than 24 hours after it first broke out on Thursday evening. The confirmed death toll till filing of this report stands at 52, and is expected to rise.
As more details emerged of the catastrophe, it became clear that the workers were left with no chance in the face of the raging inferno, that has been further fuelled by combustible items such as ghee, butter, oil and polybags stored on each floor.
Even so, the workers may have had a chance at escape, if only the building code had been maintained to provide an emergency exit, or the management had not implemented the medieval practice of locking the gates of the factory floors, that carried undertones of the horrific Tazreen Garments fire in 2012 that killed at least 112.
Deputy Director of the Fire Service Debashish Bardhan confirmed to UNB that rescue workers had to literally break down the locked collapsible gate on the building's 4th floor to go in and recover the bodies. That is where they found 49 of the bodies, burnt to a pulp overnight on the factory floor.
None of the bodies were in a recognisable state. Narayanganj Additional Deputy Commissioner (Overall) Shamim Bepari said they would be handed over to their relatives after DNA testing to identify them. They have already been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy and DNA test.
Also read: Death toll from Rupganj factory fire jumps to 52