Prayer at nat’l mosque for Chawkbazar victims

A gayebana janaza was held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque this afternoon for the victims of the ghastly Chawkbazar fire.

The namaj-e-janaza was led by Khatib of Baitul Mukarram at the south gate after the Juma prayers, reports our staff photo journalist from the spot.

Earlier, the devotes also offered special prayers for the burn victims before they attended the gayebana janaza.

The devastating blaze in Chawkbazar claimed 67 lives, making it the second deadliest chemical-fuelled fire in the country after the 2010 Nimtoli incident.  

Authorities have already handed over bodies of 45 victims of the devastating fire to their families, district administration has said.

WHAT HAPPENED AT CHAWKBAZAR?

A devastating fire broke out at Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area around 10:40pm on February 20. The incident left 67 people dead at the spot.

Autopsies found all the victims were burned alive.

The victims are mostly pedestrians, people travelling on rickshaws and cars, residents of the buildings as well as owners and staffers of the shops and warehouses at the buildings.

The Chawkbazar fire, which sparked from a chemical warehouse, is the second deadliest chemical-fuelled fire in the country after the 2010 Nimtoli incident.