Bangladesh: Air service disrupted due to major fire at Dhaka airport

Dhaka, October 18 (IANS). A massive fire broke out in the cargo section of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on Saturday afternoon, halting all flight operations and prompting emergency services. Local media gave this information. According to Talha bin Jassim, an official of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Mediasel, the fire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the cargo village of the airport’s Gate no. 8 broke out, and 36 fire units are controlling the fire. Bangladesh’s leading newspaper The Daily Star quoted an airport spokesman as saying: “All our planes are safe. Further information will be given once the situation becomes clear.” According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Bangladesh Army, two fire fighting units of Bangladesh Civil Aviation, Bangladesh Fire Service, Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force are fighting the fire in the cargo section of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. It is said that two platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) also joined the rescue work. Citing Dhaka airport sources, the Daily Star reported that at least five flights scheduled to land in Dhaka were diverted to Chittagong’s Shah Amanat International Airport and Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport. Nasir Uddin, director of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association, told the leading daily The Business Standard in Bangladesh: “We are now trying to determine the damage to the cargo. So far, we have learned that the area where the international courier service’s goods were kept was badly damaged. There was also a chemical warehouse in that area, and we heard that it was also set on fire.” The latest incident follows massive fires in Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong, which have led experts to raise serious concerns about Bangladesh’s safety standards and emergency preparedness. Earlier this week, at least 16 people were killed and several others injured in a fire that broke out in a building housing a chemical warehouse and a garment factory in Dhaka’s Shialbari area of ​​Mirpur, local media reported. Meanwhile, a fire that broke out at a factory in Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) on Thursday took 17 hours and required 25 fire units to be brought under control. – IANS