Keraniganj Fire: Factory owner, other accused still at large
Another victim dies, death toll now 14
Three days have passed since the deadly fire at a Keraniganj plastic factory, but police are yet to find out the factory owner and other accused in the murder case filed in this connection.
Shah Zaman, officer-in-charge of Dakkhin Keraniganj Police Station, said all the accused, including the factory owner, are on the run.
“We are conducting drives to arrest them,” the police officer added.
Md Jahangir, brother of deceased factory worker Alam, filed a murder case with Keraniganj South Police Station accusing the factory owner Nazrul Islam and 12 unnamed people on Thursday night in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, another victim, Asad, 16, who was severely burnt in Wednesday’s fire, died at Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka yesterday morning, raising the death toll to 14.
Asad, who was on life support with 55 percent inhalation burns, succumbed to his injuries around 7:30am, Dr Samanta Lal Sen, national coordinator of the institute, told The Daily Star.
As many as 17 others are battling for their lives at the hospital, among whom, nine are on life support, he added.
Most of them are in critical condition with 50 to 100 percent of their bodies burnt, doctors said.
A devastating fire engulfed the Prime Pet and Plastic Industry factory in Keraniganj’s Chunkutia on Wednesday.
Firefighters recovered one charred body from the factory while 33 others were hospitalised. Thirteen of the injured subsequently died in hospital.
The authorities handed over the bodies of 12 victims to their families.
The plastics factory had been operating without permission for years, according to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments.
The fire-ravaged plastic factory in Keraniganj, with around 15,000 sqft floor space, had a single gate for entry and exit and no emergency exits whatsoever.
Locals alleged that the authorities concerned turned a blind eye to the lack of safety measures at the factory even though it had been producing disposable plastic cups and plates for around 10 years and had witnessed two other fire incidents this year alone.
Keraniganj upazila administration on Friday sealed off the factory.
Relatives of the fire victims demanded stern action against the factory owner for failing to ensure fire safety and a better work environment.