24 April 2021, Sat, 11:45

Fire from chemical storage leaves 4 dead in Old Dhaka's Armanitola; Secretary General expresses concern

Urges government to pay due compensation and to ensure treatment of the injured

Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and former lawmaker Professor Mia Golam Porwar has issued the following statement on 24 April 2021 expressing deep shock as four persons were killed and 25 were injured, including fire service officials, in a fire at a building in Old Dhaka's Armanitola area early today.

The fire broke out at a chemical storage on the ground floor of the six-storey building namely Hazi Musa Mansion which killed 4 persons and injured another 25 people. Off them, 4 are in critical condition. I am expressing deep shock for the deceased who have been killed in this devastating fire and extending sympathies to their mournful families. May Allah accept all the deceased as martyrs.

In another incident, 11 people including women and children became burnt as a gas cylinder exploded in a flat residence in Tolla of Fotulla area under Narayanganj district. 6 of them have been admitted in the hospital. One of them is in critical condition. I am praying to Allah for the quickest recovery of the injury victims of these two aforesaid incidents.

We have been observing with great concern that almost frequently after couple of days, blaze incidents are taking place in old Dhaka and caused casualties. Earlier, on 3 June of 2010, another chemical storage fire killed 124 people. Another massive fire incident took place in Churihatta of Chok Bazar area on 20 February of 2019 which killed another 67 people.

Despite such repeated fire accident, businesses of toxic and inflammatory materials are still going on the old part of the capital. Some vested businessmen are continuing those businesses illegally. The government is not taking any stern measures against them which is the root cause of such tragic accident.

I am urging the concerned authorities to pay due compensation to the victim families of the Armanitola blaze accident and simultaneously to ensure medical care of the injury victims.