Explosives Dept, fire service not informed on storing chemicals at BM Depot
BM Depot had no license either
The Explosives Department of Chattogram was not informed and no license was taken to store Hydrogen Peroxide at BM Container Depot where an explosion followed by fire last night claimed 19 lives and injured around four hundred people.
The fire believed to have caused massive explosion after coming in contact with hydrogen peroxide, an oxidising agent which is not flammable but can make fire more intense.
There are certain guidelines on how to safely store and transport dangerous goods including hydrogen peroxide.
Fire Service officials in Chattogram said they were not informed of the chemical stored in the depot. Had they informed it, they would take precautionary measures to put out the blaze.
Tofazzol Hossen, inspector of Chattogram Explosives Department told The Daily Star there is no scope to store such flammable or dangerous goods in such space. In order to store such goods, a specialised facility needs to be built.
"We were not informed that chemical is stored there. They did not take any license or approval from us. There is no legal scope to hoard dangerous goods in such space surrounded by locality," he said.
It requires a specialised facility to store this type of chemical where temperature can be controlled and it must be ensured that there is no locality around such storage, he said.
Muzibur Rahman, owner of the BM Depot claimed that have necessary approval from explosive department.
He said the explosion was caused by overheating.