Chattogram container depot explosion: Death toll rises to 16
The death toll in the explosion at Chattogram's Sitakunda container depot has increased to 16 including death of a fire service member, confirmed the authorities of Chittagong Medical College Hospital and police.
More than 150 people, including fire service men and police members, have been injured in the massive explosion shortly before Saturday midnight.
The injured were rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital. The hospital's assistant director Rajib Palit said two of the victims died at around 12:30am.
An hour later, CMCH Police Outpost Sub-Inspector (SI) Nurul Alam reported the deaths of two more persons. He said 60 to 70 injured have been admitted to the hospital. About 20 of them are in critical condition.
Chattogram District Civil Surgeon Mohammad Ilias Chowdhury reported the death of another person at around 2:00am. The death toll rose to eight at the time.
CMCH Police Outpost Sub-Inspector (SI) Alauddin Talukder told Prothom Alo on Sunday morning that eight people have been killed till the morning. The bodies of seven victims have been kept in CMCH mortuary. The other body was kept at Park View Hospital in Panchlaish.
Meanwhile, fire service workers recovered six bodies from the container depot on Sunday morning. However, their names and identities were not known. The bodies were being sent to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
The identities of three of the deceased were known but the remaining victims were not identified as yet. One of the unidentified bodies was of a firefighter, the fire service said.
The three identified are Mobinul Haque, Mohiuddin, 24, and Habibur Rahman, 23, working at the ICT counter of the depot. Among them Mobinul and Mohiuddin Bari are from Banshkhali upazila. Habibur was from Bhola.
Sitakunda Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Sumon Banik told Prothom Alo that police constable Tuhin’s leg was severed in the blast. At least five other constables, Fauzdarhat police outpost sub-inspector (SI) Motahar Hossain and several members of the industrial police were injured in the blast. A number of firefighters have been injured as well, he added.