At least 35 security personnel, including Ansar and police members, were injured in a massive fire at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s cargo village. The government vows strict action if sabotage is found as firefighting efforts continue.
At least 35 security personnel, including 25 Ansar members and 10 police, were injured while battling a massive fire at the import cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday afternoon.
Several of the injured were taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and Kurmitola General Hospital for treatment. The fire broke out around 2:30pm near Gate 8 of the cargo village, where warehouses storing imported chemicals, garments, electronics, and machinery caught fire.
Eighteen firefighting units rushed to the scene and launched an operation to contain the blaze, assisted by members of the police, BGB, Army, Air Force, and Ansar.
According to officials, around one thousand Ansar members were on duty at the airport, many of whom took part in the firefighting efforts. Twenty-five were injured during the operation.
Md Golam Maula Tuhin, Commander of Ansar’s Uttara zone, said, “Our members identified the fire early and informed the authorities. Despite the risks, they showed great courage in the initial firefighting efforts.”
Md Ashiquzzaman, Deputy Director (Public Relations) of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP headquarters said, “The situation is being closely monitored, and proper medical care and assistance have been ensured for the injured members.”
Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Uttara Division, Mahidul Islam, confirmed that at least ten police members were injured while assisting in the firefighting operation. “They were taken to Kurmitola General Hospital. A senior officer has been sent there to oversee their treatment,” he told reporters at the scene in the evening. He added that more than 5,000 police personnel from various DMP units have been deployed to maintain order and ensure security in the area.
Fire Service officials said the cause of the fire could not be determined immediately, and efforts to bring the blaze fully under control were still ongoing by evening.
The interim government has said they are aware of ‘public concern’ regarding some major fires in several locations across the country, stressing that any credible evidence of sabotage or arson will be met with a swift and resolute response.
“We wish to assure all citizens that the security services are investigating each incident tho roughly and protecting lives and property with utmost vigilance,” said the government in a statement shared by the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Saturday night. No act of criminality or provocation will be allowed to disrupt the public life and political process, said the government.
“Let us be clear: if these fires prove to be acts of sabotage, and their aim is to sow panic and division, they’ll succeed only if we allow fear to overtake our reason and our resolve,” the statement reads.
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Bangladesh has faced many challenges before, and together they will face any threats to the new democracy with unity, calm and determination, the government said. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
