ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow on Monday over the unfortunate fire incident in Bangladesh and the numerous casualties it caused.
At least 49 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in a massive fire at a container depot in southeast Bangladesh’s seaport. On Saturday night, a fire broke out at a shipping container facility in Sitakunda, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the port city of Chittagong, resulting in a massive blast and multiple container explosions.
PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sympathies and condolences to Bangladesh and the families of the deceased and injured on Twitter.
“Sad to hear about the loss of precious lives in a fire incident in Bangladesh. My heartfelt condolences & most sincere sympathies are with the government and people of Bangladesh,” the premier wrote.
On Sunday, the chemical-filled containers were still exploding as firefighters attempted to put out the fire, and officials said the army had been called in. The latest incident highlights the country’s poor track record in industrial safety.
Bangladesh has grown in recent decades to become the world’s second-largest garment exporter, but the infrastructure and institutional focus on industrial safety remain nascent, according to the International Labour Organization earlier this year.
Lax regulations and poor rule enforcement have been blamed for several large fires that have killed hundreds in recent years.
Three people were killed in 2020 when an oil tank exploded at a container depot in Chittagong’s Patenga area, and 54 people were killed in July last year when an inferno ripped through a food processing factory outside the capital Dhaka.
In 2019, a fire engulfed several buildings in a centuries-old Dhaka neighborhood, killing at least 70 people.
