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Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has instructed the authorities concerned to investigate the devastating fire in a garment factory and chemical warehouse at Shialbari in the city's Mirpur area, claiming so far 16 lives and injuring several others.
"The chief adviser has been informed about the tragic fire in Mirpur. He immediately asked the authorities concerned to investigate the incident and expressed shock at the deaths in the fire," Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said.
The press secretary briefed the media in Rome on Tuesday as Prof Yunus was visiting Italy to attend the World Food Forum (WFF), the flagship event of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), BSS reports.
"We stand beside the affected families," the press secretary quoted Prof Yunus as saying.
Noting that such fire incidents occurred in chemical factories in previous times in Bangladesh, Shafiqul said, "Despite our utmost efforts, it has been noticed that some people set up such factories illegally".
The chief adviser, however, returned home this morning, ending his two-day visit to Rome.
According to concerned officials, fire was suspected to have originated at the chemical warehouse around 11:40am on Tuesday and spread later to the garments unit -- Anwar Fashion Garments Factory and Shah Alam Chemical Warehouse.
Firefighter later recovered 16 bodies from the first and second floor of the garments factory and sent those to the morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Eight others sustained burn injuries, three of whom are now receiving treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS).
Social Welfare Adviser Sharmeen Soneya Murshid today visited the fire site and said that the people responsible for the deadly fire will be brought to justice.
She, however, emphasised relocating the chemical warehouses from the densely populated areas to safer places.
Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) Brigadier General Muhammad Jahed Kamal, however, inspected the fire site at Shialbari on Tuesday night and briefed the newsmen, where he urged all to build a social movement against setting up illegal chemical warehouses to prevent deadly fire incidents.
"Raise voice against setting up illegal chemical warehouses," he said.
The FSCD DG called upon all to take help from the administration or the fire service to evict any such illegal chemical warehouses.
Replying to a query, he said it would take two or three more days to douse the fire completely at the chemical warehouse in Mirpur, adding that the fire at the warehouse was brought under control.
Meanwhile, a five-member Hazmat (chemical expert) team of the FSCD visited the chemical warehouse today, FSCD media officers told BSS.
Wearing protective chemical fire suits, the team entered the warehouse to identify the source of the smoke and take necessary safety measures accordingly.
Besides, Assistant Director of Dhaka Division of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) Kazi Nuzmuzzaman briefed the media this afternoon, saying that none was suspected to be in the damaged chemical warehouse as it was locked when the fire broke out.
"The chemical warehouse was locked when it caught fire. So, we suspect there is none inside the depot. But, everything will be surfaced after full control of the blaze in the warehouse which requires much more time," he said..