At least 174 people are reported missing since g arson attack at Gazi Tyre Factory in Rupganj upazila, Narayanganj on Sunday night.
The fire that broke out at Gazi Tyre Manufacturing Factory in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj raged uncontrollably for over 20 hours, with fears mounting that hundreds of workers may be trapped inside.
At 5 pm Monday, twelve fire tenders were engaged to bring the blaze under control.
But the blaze could not be brought under control till 8pm on Monday.
The fire broke out at around 9 pm on Sunday.
Local residents expressed concern, claiming that between 400 to 500 people might be trapped inside the factory.
Families of the missing listed the names of at least 160 people who are missing, requiring immediate rescue operation.
The fire broke out in the six-story factory building owned by former minister and MP Gazi Golam Dastagir.
According to Lt Col Md Rezaul Karim, Director of Training, Planning, and Improvement at the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters, the fire service received information about the fire within five minutes since it occurred. However, the intensity of the blaze, fueled by inflammable materials such as rubber and tyre, made it extremely difficult to contain the fire.
In response, five more fire tenders, that 12 fire tenders with 120 firefighters were working to douse the fire, said Lt Col Karim during a media briefing on Monday morning.
He said 14 people had been rescued from the factory so far.
Asked about the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage, he said that these details will be ascertained after a thorough investigation.
Local residents said that local prominent people took out a procession at Rupgang after news broke that Gazi Golam Dastagir had been placed on six-day remand. The procession was reportedly taken out after a group stormed the factory, looted machinery and furniture. Shortly afterwards at around 9 pm, miscreants allegedly set fire to the ground floor of the factory triggering the massive blaze.
In response to concerns from missing persons' families, the official said the fire service has compiled a list of 174 missing persons, who are believed to be trapped inside the factory.
Among the missing are Abdur Rahman, 30, a worker of a cement factory; Md Sujan, 28, a scrap dealer, his sister Mafia Begum, 30, her husband Md Ratan, 35, Hasan Ali 32, a mason from the Baralu area, and his friends, Ohid, 32 and Rubel, 30.
Saiful Islam, assistant general manager of Gazi Tyres, said hundreds of people broke into the factory in Rupshi area on Sunday afternoon, hours after Golam Dastagir Gazi, the chairman of Gazi Group and former Awami League minister, was arrested from the capital. They set fire to the ground floor of the factory at around 9:00am
At around 5:50pm, the fire service said that they are not maintaining any list of the deceased or missing persons. Instead, some local residents have provided their phone numbers to the fire service and requested them to inform if any victim is found.
