THE Bangladeshi government and depot owners have promised compensation for kin of the scores of dead and the hundreds injured in last week's Bangladesh container yard fire, reports Aljazeera.
More than 40 people were killed and 200 injured - mostly port workers and firefighters in the fire in a depot near the southeastern port of Chittagong, which handles the country's readymade clothing exports to the west.
Minutes after firemen arrived, a huge explosion shook the ground, throwing people and containers in the air and creating an inferno, said the drivers and freight handlers, all of whom sustained eye injuries including burns.
Victim Mohammad Salauddin, 35, his eyes screwed shut, streaming tears, recalled the moment he was struck by exploding chemicals and glass in the blast.
Mr Salauddin, a driver at the facility, was working to remove containers from the vicinity of the fire when several chemical-laden containers exploded.
'I was in my driving seat when the explosion occurred. Glass and chemicals hit my eyes, causing serious injury,' said Mr Salauddin, as his wife stood by in the Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
'I may very likely have problems continuing in my job. I cannot open my eyes or see things,' he said. He has worked for the Dutch-Bangladesh BM Container Depot for seven years, earning up to BTD30,000 (US$319) a month.
Mr Salauddin said he was 'desperate for compensation' as the sole earner in a family of seven.
Perched on a hospital bed with a bandage around his stomach, victim Mohammad Mohiuddin and his wife were worried about providing for their three children without his BDT12,000 salary.
'My whole body got burnt, besides eye injuries. If I don't get my health back, I cannot continue working,' said the 40-year-old freight handler.
'Without support, I would have to starve to death along with my kids. I expect compensation from both the government and the company.'
Bangladesh's laxity towards workers' safety garnered global attention after more than 1,100 garment workers were killed when the eight-storey Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013.
Saturday's blaze has once again put the spotlight on the risks faced by low-paid workers in Bangladesh, where at least 200 people have been killed in fires in factories and other commercial settings since 2017, according to Reuters.
Fire officials have said the depot blaze may have been started by a container of hydrogen peroxide and that safety regulations were not followed.
'A case has been filed against eight people who were directly in charge of the depot,' said Ashraful Karim, a senior police official, in Sitakunda, at the inland depot 25 miles from Chittagong.
Shamsul Haider Siddiqui, general manager of Smart Group, said the firm was investigating the causes of the fire and explosion.
'Hydrogen peroxide is being exported through our depot following due process with the permission of the concerned authorities,' he said in a statement.
Smart Group has promised to pay one BDT1 million for every death. The government has also promised compensation and is making a list of the dead and injured.
At a booth near the hospital, relatives gave blood so that their DNA could be used to help identify the dead.
'It is upon owners to ensure safety of workers or anyone else in a factory or workplace. Only a gross mismanagement of hazardous materials could cause an accident of these proportions,' said Sekender Ali Mina, a campaigner.
'The government also needs to step up its supervision of workplaces to ensure workers' rights,' said Mina, member secretary of Sramik Nirapotta Forum, which advocates for workers' safety.
Smart Group said it will pay BDT600,000 in compensation for those who were seriously injured, maimed or lost organs.
Children of the deceased will also get the equivalent of their lost parent's salary until adulthood, Mr Siddiqui said.
'We are collecting data to give the money to the right persons,' said Bablu Kumar, a manager of Smart Group, standing outside the hospital.
Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, a burns specialist, said some of the survivors he had been treating were likely to need long-term care, including physiotherapy and treatment for trauma.
SeaNews Turkey
More than 40 people were killed and 200 injured - mostly port workers and firefighters in the fire in a depot near the southeastern port of Chittagong, which handles the country's readymade clothing exports to the west.
Minutes after firemen arrived, a huge explosion shook the ground, throwing people and containers in the air and creating an inferno, said the drivers and freight handlers, all of whom sustained eye injuries including burns.
Victim Mohammad Salauddin, 35, his eyes screwed shut, streaming tears, recalled the moment he was struck by exploding chemicals and glass in the blast.
Mr Salauddin, a driver at the facility, was working to remove containers from the vicinity of the fire when several chemical-laden containers exploded.
'I was in my driving seat when the explosion occurred. Glass and chemicals hit my eyes, causing serious injury,' said Mr Salauddin, as his wife stood by in the Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
'I may very likely have problems continuing in my job. I cannot open my eyes or see things,' he said. He has worked for the Dutch-Bangladesh BM Container Depot for seven years, earning up to BTD30,000 (US$319) a month.
Mr Salauddin said he was 'desperate for compensation' as the sole earner in a family of seven.
Perched on a hospital bed with a bandage around his stomach, victim Mohammad Mohiuddin and his wife were worried about providing for their three children without his BDT12,000 salary.
'My whole body got burnt, besides eye injuries. If I don't get my health back, I cannot continue working,' said the 40-year-old freight handler.
'Without support, I would have to starve to death along with my kids. I expect compensation from both the government and the company.'
Bangladesh's laxity towards workers' safety garnered global attention after more than 1,100 garment workers were killed when the eight-storey Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013.
Saturday's blaze has once again put the spotlight on the risks faced by low-paid workers in Bangladesh, where at least 200 people have been killed in fires in factories and other commercial settings since 2017, according to Reuters.
Fire officials have said the depot blaze may have been started by a container of hydrogen peroxide and that safety regulations were not followed.
'A case has been filed against eight people who were directly in charge of the depot,' said Ashraful Karim, a senior police official, in Sitakunda, at the inland depot 25 miles from Chittagong.
Shamsul Haider Siddiqui, general manager of Smart Group, said the firm was investigating the causes of the fire and explosion.
'Hydrogen peroxide is being exported through our depot following due process with the permission of the concerned authorities,' he said in a statement.
Smart Group has promised to pay one BDT1 million for every death. The government has also promised compensation and is making a list of the dead and injured.
At a booth near the hospital, relatives gave blood so that their DNA could be used to help identify the dead.
'It is upon owners to ensure safety of workers or anyone else in a factory or workplace. Only a gross mismanagement of hazardous materials could cause an accident of these proportions,' said Sekender Ali Mina, a campaigner.
'The government also needs to step up its supervision of workplaces to ensure workers' rights,' said Mina, member secretary of Sramik Nirapotta Forum, which advocates for workers' safety.
Smart Group said it will pay BDT600,000 in compensation for those who were seriously injured, maimed or lost organs.
Children of the deceased will also get the equivalent of their lost parent's salary until adulthood, Mr Siddiqui said.
'We are collecting data to give the money to the right persons,' said Bablu Kumar, a manager of Smart Group, standing outside the hospital.
Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, a burns specialist, said some of the survivors he had been treating were likely to need long-term care, including physiotherapy and treatment for trauma.
SeaNews Turkey
