Airport fire: Experts coming from four countries, including China

Experts from four countries— the United Kingdom, Australia, China, and Turkey—are being brought in to investigate whether there was any mismanagement behind the fire at the cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

Interim government’s Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury disclosed this information on Saturday morning while speaking to journalists after visiting the fire-damaged cargo village and the e-gate area.

The Home Affairs Adviser said that the airport’s own firefighting team reached the spot and began operations within 30 seconds of receiving the fire alert. Still, experts from four countries are being brought in to determine whether there was any mismanagement in handling the incident, he added.

He also mentioned that discussions were held regarding the reduction of passport fees for migrant workers.

A devastating fire broke out at the airport’s cargo village complex around 2:30pm on Saturday, 18 October. It took 37 units from 13 fire stations nearly six and a half hours to bring the blaze under control. Flight operations were suspended during this period. Reportedly, 35 people, including 25 members of the Ansar force, were injured while extinguishing the fire.

Leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) estimated that the losses from the fire could exceed Tk 1 billion. They said the accident has severely affected the country’s export trade, particularly the readymade garment sector.