Workers of nearby factories fall sick due to toxic fume

Toxic fumes from the chemical warehouse and an adjacent garment factory in Shialbari, Mirpur continued to affect the neighbourhood, leaving dozens of workers from nearby factories ill and prompting the temporary closure of several garment and plastic factories. Many who returned to work today fell sick shortly after inhaling the fumes.

A female worker at Rising Apparel Ltd, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Observer, "As soon as I entered the office on Thursday morning, I felt burning sensation in my nose and mouth." It was hard to breathe. I tried to work again but after a while I fell down and became unconscious."

He added, "At least 15 to 20 people got sick with us. But everyone was saying they had burning eyes and difficulty in breathing." This factory of Rising Apparel Ltd is located at a lane far from the incident site.
Bilkis Begum, an employee of another Rising factory who works in the swing section, said, "Our factory also opened in the morning but was closed after an hour. We were having difficulty breathing because of the gas accumulating in the building. We have learned that more than 50 people have fallen sick in another factory."

Rising Apparel Ltd Assistant General Manager (HR and Compliance) Mainul Hasan said, '400 to 500 workers work in each of our factories. "I opened the office around 8 am and closed it by 8:45 am. Because many people were unable to breathe due to the accumulation of gas, especially female employees, who felt more uncomfortable. As a result, I gave everyone a day off."

He added, "Although none of our employees were seriously injured, many fell ill due to respiratory problems. We have declared a closure until next Friday as per the instructions of the Fire Service authorities."

Fire Service Assistant Director Kazi Nazmuzzaman said, "There is a lot of white smoke from chemicals inside the chemical godown. Which is highly toxic, so it will take time to control it. So we have asked everyone to stay away from the area. At the same time, the factories in the vicinity have been asked to remain closed for 72 hours." In this situation, it is reported that several other factories, including three factories of the Rising Group, have been closed and workers have been given leave.

A seven-member committee has been formed on Thursday by the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) to investigate the fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse and an adjacent garment factory in Shialbari, Mirpur. The committee is led by Lt Col Md Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (Operation and Maintenance) of the FSCD Directorate.

A four-member expert team on Thursday visited the gutted chemical warehouse at Shialbari in the capital's Mirpur. Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) Senior GM Manjur Reza led the team.

Prof Zillur Rahman of Department of Disaster Science and Climate Resilience of Dhaka University and Syed Ahmed Kabir, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment, were included in the expert team, said FSCD media officer Talha bin Zasim. The fire erupted in a garment factory and a chemical warehouse around 11:40am on Wednesday that left 16 people dead.

The fire spokesperson reminded all that the smoke which is still billowing from the chemical warehouse is hazardous for the people and called upon all to maintain distance of at least 300 yards from the depot.

He said they are now making people aware about the adverse impact of the smoke and water billowing out from the chemical warehouse through loud speakers. "But, people do not pay heed to the campaign," he said.