Devastating explosion at container depot in Bangladesh; 16 dead, 450 injured, many in critical condition

DHAKA: A total of 16 people were killed in a devastating explosion following a fire that broke out at a private container depot in Sitakunda Upazila in Chittagong, Bangladesh. More than 450 people have sustained injuries in the accident. Many of those admitted to the hospital are in critical condition. The fire broke out at the depot on Saturday night. The firemen who came to douse the fire have also sustained injuries.

The fire broke out at the BM container depot around 9 pm, said Nurul Alam, Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police outpost sub-inspector. However, as the fire brigade was trying to douse the fire, another explosion took place. Following which, the fireman sustained injuries. As per reports, the container depot caught fire due to chemicals stored inside. The explosion shook the neighbourhood and shattered the glasses of windows of nearby houses. Around 19 firefighting units have arrived to douse the fire. However, BM container depot director Mujibur Rahman said in a statement that the cause of the fire was not clear.