Scores of individuals had been feared lacking after looters attacked a tire manufacturing facility owned by a former minister within the deposed Awami League authorities and set the constructing ablaze, in response to authorities and relations on the scene.
Police and hearth officers didn’t launch details about these believed to be lacking within the hearth that raged for 32 hours within the six-story constructing earlier than it was contained early Tuesday. Officers additionally didn’t instantly share details about whether or not there have been any deaths or accidents within the hearth.
Outdoors the constructing, family members of manufacturing facility staff and others sought data hours later concerning the destiny of their family members.
BenarNews noticed an inventory with the names of not less than 170 individuals who had been nonetheless unaccounted for. The fireplace marked the most recent incident in a breakdown of law-and-order within the three weeks since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s authorities fell amid huge student-led protests.
On Aug. 5, the day Hasina resigned and fled the nation, two Gazi-owned companies, the tire manufacturing facility and Gazi Pipes, which had been housed in the identical plant, had been set on hearth by looters.
A hearth service official expressed concern concerning the constructing following the fireplace that began at 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
“Presumably, the constructing will collapse as hearth has severely broken the pillars and fundamental buildings,” Abdul Mannan, a deputy assistant director of the fireplace service and civil protection in Narayanganj, informed BenarNews on Tuesday.
The fireplace ripped by way of the Gazi Group-owned manufacturing facility in Narayanganj, about 20 km (12.5 miles) from Dhaka, following the arrest of Golam Dastagir Gazi, the previous minister, on Sunday. He had served as textile and jute minister in Hasina’s 15-year-old authorities.
The district administration has fashioned an eight-member committee headed by Further District Justice of the Peace Hamidur Rahman of Narayanganj to research the fireplace.
An interim authorities headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has been struggling because it got here to workplace on Aug. 8 with stabilizing the nation within the wake of Hasina’s departure whereas making an attempt to comprise protests and looting. Amid the chaos of latest weeks, college college students have been volunteering to assist direct visitors and assist flood-relief efforts, amongst different actions.
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In the meantime, relations of Md. Sharif, 28, a textile manufacturing facility employee in Tarabo and resident of Dakshin Rupshi village in Narayanganj, informed BenarNews that he was one of many lacking folks.
Sharif’s mom had been a most cancers affected person and his father had had cardiac issues, his cousin recalled.
“His spouse and solely son have been crying for him,” Md. Hridoy stated.
“The folks had been inspired by the looting of the prime minister’s home. As quickly because the information of the arrest of Golam Dastagir Gazi unfold Sunday morning, 1000’s of individuals from across the space thronged the manufacturing facility premises to loot. My cousin Sharif went to the manufacturing facility after his associates known as him on the cellphone.
“At round 5 p.m., Sharif got here to the home with some iron rods and different stuff taken from the manufacturing facility. He had his dinner and went to the manufacturing facility once more at round 9 p.m. on Sunday. He final talked to us over the cellphone after 9:30 p.m.,” he stated.
Hridoy blamed teams of miscreants for beginning the fireplace. Authorities didn’t establish attainable suspects.
“Two armed teams stormed the manufacturing facility at evening,” Hridoy stated. “At one stage, one of many teams pulled the shutter and set the manufacturing facility on hearth whereas folks had been busy looting.”
One other man informed an identical story on Tuesday a few member of the family. Md Amzad Hossain stated his son-in-law Md Nizam, 38, had been lacking since Sunday evening.
“Two teams began preventing over management of the manufacturing facility. His family members who went to the manufacturing facility known as him to go there. He went there and couldn’t come out as some folks set the entire manufacturing facility on hearth,” he informed BenarNews.
“Nizam has two kids. His spouse and kids are crying for him. None will help us,” Hossain informed BenarNews.
Listing
Hridoy stated hearth service and civil protection personnel started making an inventory on Monday of individuals lacking because the hearth started.
BenarNews has seen a duplicate of an inventory of 173 names which included Sharif together with movies of authorities gathering the knowledge. Nonetheless, authorities haven’t confirmed its authenticity or launched any details about attainable victims.
Gazi Group officers didn’t reply to BenarNews requests for feedback and the corporate’s web site has been blocked.
Mannan, the deputy hearth official, stated firefighters reached the manufacturing facility, which had been closed since Aug. 5the day Hasina fled to India, inside 5 minutes after the blaze started on Sunday evening.
Whereas the Gazi Group has not made a press release concerning the hearth, Mannan stated just a few staff had been within the manufacturing facility on the time of the “deliberate” arson assault.
“Once we reached the location, it was stuffed with 1000’s of people that had been concerned in looting and damaging the manufacturing facility and the adjoining buildings. Initially, we rescued 34 folks from the manufacturing facility,” Mannan stated.
“Every flooring has an area of practically 100,000 sq. toes. It was stuffed with flammable gadgets corresponding to plastic and rubber uncooked supplies. We noticed an inferno,” Mannan stated. “A lot of the lacking folks went to take one thing from the manufacturing facility.”
Professor Mustafizur Rahman, a fellow on the Centre for Coverage Dialogue, a Dhaka-based financial think-tank, stated attacking, looting and burning of the enterprise institutions, regardless of who owns them, was by no means acceptable.
“Gazi group has about 5,000 staff. This fireplace has made them jobless. The proprietor took loans from banks,” he informed BenarNews. “Banks, insurance coverage firms and the monetary institutes can be severely affected.”
Bangladesh has seen its share of lethal fires – over 1,000 folks have been killed in 190,000 fires over the past 9 years, the nation’s hearth service and civil protection reported in early March, after a blaze in a multi-story shopping center killed not less than 46 folks. In 2019, not less than 25 folks had been killed in a 22-story tower hearth in Dhaka’s Banani neighborhood.
