Airport cargo village fire: Imported goods burnt, small traders face severe loss

Bellaface Limited, a cosmetics importer based in the capital’s Motijheel, had imported products worth Tk 3.5-4 million (35-40 lakhs) from South Korea, which were due to be released from the Dhaka airport on Sunday. But those goods were destroyed in the devastating fire the day before.

Bellaface Limited’s proprietor, Muhibul Islam, told Prothom Alo, “Winter is the peak season for selling cosmetics, and this period sustains us for the next six months. The products that burned were not covered by any insurance.”

The fire that broke out on Saturday at the cargo village complex of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has left numerous small traders like Muhibul facing ruin.

In addition, raw materials imported by garment exporters, pharmaceuticals, and other medium and large businesses have either been burned or damaged by heat.

The total extent of the loss has not yet been assessed by any government agency. One of the country’s top pharmaceutical companies, Square, lost raw materials valued at about US $1.5 million (15 lakhs).

The BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) has reported that 108 companies have lost $1.258 million, equivalent to about Tk 153.5 million (15.35 crores), worth of goods and materials.

According to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh imported goods worth $65 billion in the 2024–25 fiscal year through sea, air, and land ports. Of this, imports worth $4.1 billion (410 crore) came through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, meaning 6 per cent of the nation’s total imports pass through this airport.

About one-fourth of these imports are raw materials for export-oriented industries. The rest includes pharmaceutical ingredients, medical supplies, chemicals, electronics, cosmetics, and e-commerce goods.

The fire broke out in the cargo village complex around 2:30 pm on Saturday. It took nearly seven hours to bring the blaze under control. By that time a vast quantity of goods had been destroyed. The section that burned housed imported consignments awaiting release.

Commerce adviser Sk Bashir Uddin, who inspected the charred cargo complex on Sunday, told newspersons, “We will not rule out any possibility, including sabotage, in the investigation of the incident. A committee has been formed to examine all aspects of the fire incident. We will work with intelligence agencies and other stakeholders to uncover the truth.”

A C&F agency, Pacific International Trade Point, was handling the release of four shipments of medical equipment worth about $230,000 last week. They had already paid Tk 1.9 million in duties for one shipment, scheduled for release on Sunday.

Standing in front of the cargo village at noon, Zakir Hossain, the company’s managing director, told Prothom Alo, “All the goods burned before we could release them. There was no way to enter the cargo village; we just stood there and watched everything being charred in flames.”

Like Zakir, over a hundred C&F agents and company representatives gathered outside the cargo village gates Sunday morning, hoping to learn whether any of their consignments had survived. No one was allowed inside.

Five days earlier, Metronic Bangladesh Limited, a US-based company, had imported $1.5 million worth of medical equipment. All of that was destroyed in the blaze.

Md. Anwar Sadat, import supervisor at Dart Global, a logistics company, said, “I came here right after the fire broke out and stayed until night. I came again this morning at 8:00. We can’t go inside. There’s nothing to do but watch. We handle imports of fabrics, tools, and medical devices for several companies. But there’s no hope of getting anything from there.”

According to Nasir Ahmed Khan, former director of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA), it takes at least 24 hours to clear imported goods, and often two to three days.

Since Fridays and Saturdays see very few clearances, more consignments were left in storage, resulting in greater losses, he pointed out.

Nasir Ahmed Khan added that BAFFA’s 1,100 member companies have been asked to report their damages.

Square Pharmaceuticals, one of Bangladesh’s largest drug companies, lost $1.5 million (Tk 180 million) worth of pharmaceutical raw materials, along with Tk 50 million (five crore) worth of fabrics belonging to Square Group, managing director Tapan Chowdhury confirmed.

Similarly, Incepta Pharmaceuticals also lost raw materials in the fire, its managing director and president of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, Abdul Muktadir, confirmed last night.

“We are currently assessing the extent of losses sustained by the pharmaceutical sector in the cargo village fire,” he said.

Wikitex-BD, a buying house, had received $86,000 worth of fabric from China at Dhaka Airport on Friday night. The fabric was to be used in making garments valued at $200,000 for export.

The goods were left under the open sky after being unloaded from the aircraft. Part of that fabric was damaged in Saturday’s fire, along with $12,000 worth of additional fabric and $44,000 worth of RFID tags.

Confirming the losses, AKM Saifur Rahman, CEO of Wikitex-BD, told Prothom Alo, “Most of the goods stored under the sheds were burnt, while those kept outside were ruined by heat. Even though they were insured, compensation will take time but we have to pay our suppliers within 90 days.”

A BGMEA delegation led by vice-president Inamul Haque Khan visited the site on Sunday afternoon. Later, BGMEA director Faisal Samad told newspersons, “We saw scenes of utter devastation inside. The entire import section has been charred.”

Asked about the losses, Inamul Haque Khan told Prothom Alo last night, “So far, 108 member companies have reported losses amounting to $1.25 million. We estimate that goods of 250 to 300 companies have been damaged. Ultimately, total losses could reach $30–40 million. There are also significant indirect losses, as many samples and essential materials were destroyed.”