Pall of gloom descends on as relatives throng Rupganj

Staff Reporter

Published: July 9, 2021, 03:56 PM

Pall of gloom descends on as relatives throng Rupganj

49 corpses have been found only in the third floor. The factory of Hashem Food and Beverage Limited in Rupganj of Narayanganj is still ablaze leaving dozens missing.

Relatives of the missing workers thronged the spot turning the air in a pall of gloom in the area.

Jhuma Akter rushed to Rupganj from Habiganj district to find her younger sister Tuli Begum who works at Chocolate section. Yet, she found none.

Waiting is the only job she is left to do now. Many relatives and family members like Jhuma are now waiting at the area to know the whereabouts of the missing people.

Jhuma Akter, a resident of Habiganj, rushed to Rupganj of Narayanganj to find younger sister Tuli Begum. 

 

The alternative exit door was closed during the onset of the deadly fire. No worker could flee the fire as it broke out on the stairs.

49 bodies were found at level 4 only while most of the victims were minors. The bodies were charred beyond recognition and it will be hard to identify the bodies for handover to family members. DNA sampling may be needed to match the bodies.

Level 5 and 6 is still burning. It is believed that the number of deceased will jump.

The factory building caught fire Earlier on Thursday (July 8) night.

Firefighters are still battling to douse the fire and to rescue survivors.

During the wee hours of Friday fire service said the blaze was about to be doused. However, around 9am on the fire got intensified as huge amount of flammable substances were stored in the building.

18 units of firefighters from Dhaka, Narayanganj and Demra are battling to control the fire, said Narayanganj fire service deputy-assistant director Abdullah Al Arefin.

25 people were rescued and sent to US Bangla Hospital for treatment, he said.

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