3 workers die in Shezan juice factory fire in Narayanganj, 50 injured

At least three workers died and 50 others were injured after a fire broke out in Shezan juice factory in Narayanganj on Thursday afternoon.

The three workers succumbed to injuries they suffered after jumping off the building to escape the devastating fire.

Mina Akter, 40, and Swapna Rani, 38, died on the way to a local hospital, according to Station Officer of Kanchan Fire Service Shah Alam. 

Seventeen firefighting units struggling to douse the blaze at Sezan juice factory in Narayanganj, Dhaka on July 8, 2021 Mehedi Hasan/ Dhaka Tribune

Another worker, Musralin, 24, died while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Thursday night, In-Charge of the police outpost Bachchu Mia. 

Mursalin was taken to the hospital along with 11-13 others in the evening. A dozen others were admitted to US Bangla Medical College and Hospital in Rupganj, Narayanganj.

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All of them were injured as they jumped off the second floor and third floor of the building, according to police and fire officials.

Seventeen firefighting units from Narayanganj, Kanchon, Demra and Dhaka were struggling to douse the fire at the factory building of Hashem Foods Limited, a sister concern of Sajeeb Group, in Kornogop area of Bhulta till the filing of the report at 2:15am on Friday.

Survivors of Sezan Juice factory fire at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on July 8, 2021 Dhaka TribuneThe fire erupted around 5pm, fire officials said. It is suspected that the fire originated from the ground floor of the six-storey building, and spread quickly due to the presence of chemicals and plastic bottles.

Police said they have rescued all the workers trapped inside the building. However, a fire service worker said that the relatives of the workers have claimed that 20-22 people are still missing.

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Workers and relatives also alleged that the front gate and only exit of the factory had remained locked at the time of the fire. They said that the building had no proper fire safety measures in place.

Enraged by the delay in rescuing the people trapped inside the building, they staged protests in front of the factory building and obstructed traffic on Dhaka-Sylhet Highway around 10pm on Thursday. 

Deputy Director of Narayanganj District Fire Service Abdullah Al Arefin said the cause of the fire could not be known immediately.