The injured workers undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital in connection with the massive factory fire in Rupganj were given medical assistance of Tk 50,000 from the Bangladesh Workers Welfare Foundation fund under the Ministry of Labor and Employment on Saturday.

Today, the secretary of the ministry KM Abdus Salam handed over a check of Tk 50,000 for medical aid to each of the three workers undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

A total of Tk 11 lakh has been handed over to 22 injured workers including those undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College and a private hospital in Rupganj.

Besides, Tk 2 lac will be provided to the deceased upon confirming their identities, KM Abdus Salam  told reporters.

Earlier on Friday, State Minister for Labor and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian pledged that Legal action will be taken against the owners of the Rupganj factory where over 50 workers died in a fire, if there is evidence of their negligence.

Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames

It is when she said that  the family of the deceased would be provided with Tk 2 lac and the injured Tk 50,000 tomorrow from the Bangladesh Workers Welfare Foundation fund under the labor ministry.

Earlier on Saturday, police arrested Md Abul Hashem, chairman of the group Sajeeb Group that owns the factory, his four sons -- Hashem Bin Hashem, Tareq Ibrahim, Tawsib Ibrahim and Tanjim Ibrahim-- and its CEO Shahan Sha Azad, DGM Mamunur Rashid and head of admin Salauddin.

The eight will be produced before court later in the day, said Superintendent of Police (Narayanganj) Md Zaidul Alam.

So far 52 workers, some of them reportedly teen-aged boys and girls, were killed in the devastating fire that tore through the seven-story factory that produced foods and beverages such as juice, cold drinks, toast biscuits and laccha semai.

According to the fire service, huge amount of plastic and packaging materials in the building may have fuelled the fire in just a few minutes after it broke out.

They said the blocked door at the factory’s staircase has caused so many deaths that could have been avoided.

Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested

It took around 27 hours for 18 fire fighting units to douse the blaze completely as at some floors huge amounts of inflammable substances were stockpiled.

On Friday noon, after breaking the locked door of the fourth floor, fire fighters discovered rows of bodies burnt to ashes.  

Fire fighters recovered 49 bodies from the floor and sent them to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s morgue, which took the death toll to 52 from the tragic incident. None of the 49 bodies could be identified yet as they have completely been charred.

Three others died from injuries after jumping off the building on Thursday.