Accidents in manufacturing and commercial establishments in Bangladesh

In the densely populated Dhaka area, fires are common due to the mushrooming of new buildings, often built without proper safety measures.

Hundreds of people have died in such fires or other accidents in buildings serving the country's booming manufacturing and commercial sectors, where gas cylinders, air conditioning and electrical wiring were found to be unsafe.

Fatal accidents in manufacturing and commercial establishments in bangladesh figure 1 — Firefighters spray water to extinguish a fire that broke out at a multi-storey building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, February 29, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Here are some major incidents in recent years.

June 2022: More than 40 people were killed and 200 injured after a fire broke out at a warehouse near the southern port city of Chittagong. The fire department said the blaze may have been caused by a hydrogen peroxide tank that did not comply with safety regulations.

July 2021: A fire at a food processing factory on the outskirts of Dhaka killed at least 52 people. Officials said the factory was built illegally and lacked safety measures.

February 2019: A fire in an old Dhaka building killed at least 70 people. The building had shops and plastic warehouses on the lower two floors, while the upper three floors were residential. Officials blamed the fire on illegal storage of flammable chemicals.

September 2016: At least 33 people were killed in a fire at a food and cigarette packaging factory in Dhaka. Officials said the cause was likely a gas leak and a boiler explosion.

August 2016: More than 100 people were affected by inhaling gas leaked from a fertilizer factory in Chittagong.

April 2013: At least 1,136 people are killed and hundreds injured in the country's worst industrial accident, when an eight-story building near Dhaka that housed five garment factories collapses.

November 2012: A fire at a Dhaka garment factory supplying global brands kills 112 workers and injures more than 150. Officials say the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

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