DNA tests have confirmed the identities of the bodies of eight people  who were burnt to death in last month’s deadly blasts and fire at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda of Chattogram, police said on Thursday. The victims have now been identified as  Akter Hossain, Abul Hashem, Monir Hossain, Babul Mia, Sakib, Md Rasel, Md Shahjahan, and Abdus Sobhan Prakash Abdur Rahman, said  Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police outpost assistant sub-inspector Alauddin Talukder. He said the relatives of the eight people have been asked to take the bodies from the hospital. Also read: Probe body finds owners, monitoring authority responsible for Sitakunda depot fire The eight were among the 22 bodies whose identities remained unknown since the fire disaster on June 4. The DNA samples collection booth has been set up in front of the emergency department of CMCH next to the help cell of the district administration in collaboration with the Chattogram district police. Earlier, 29 bodies were handed over to the families and relatives out of 51 dead. Out of them, 37 bodies have been identified so far. The dead included 10 firefighters. Over 200 people were injured in the fire.

Police on Wednesday recovered the remains of one individual from the shade of BM container depot in Sitakunda, one month after the devastating fire incident. With the recovery of the skull and bones the death toll from the massive inferno rose to 51. Read: Sitakunda depot fire: Writ petition seeks Tk 2 crore compensation for each deceased’s family Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of Sitakunda Police Station, said a skull and some charred bones of an individual were recovered during the cleaning work in the depot around 1:15 pm. The recovered skull and bones were sent to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital morgue for DNA test. Read: Human remains found at BM Container depot Fifty were killed and  over 200 injured in a fire and subsequent blasts at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda of Chattogram on June 4. Ten  firefighters died in the incident. It is said to be the ‘largest death figure’ the fire service has seen in a single incident.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said it is becoming clearer that sabotage was behind the recent fire incidents including at BM Container Depot and a moving train. The minister said this while replying to journalists at the secretariat on Monday. Hasan Mahmud said he was saying from the beginning that investigation is needed to identify whether there was any sabotage behind the container depot fire. After that fire broke out inside a moving train in Sylhet from the toilet and another train caught fire in Khulna. Also read: Online news portals cannot legally broadcast talk shows, bulletins: Hasan Mahmud “The sabotage conspiracy has become clearer gradually. Actually these incidents are being planned to fade the celebratory atmosphere prevailing across the country by spreading panic,” said Hasan Mahmud. “The matter is under investigation and it will become clearer after getting a report. I personally believe there was sabotage behind it.” Earlier, Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) leaders handed a a memorandum with six demands: to stop online video broadcasting of newspapers, stop broadcasting news on IP TV, full implementation of clean feed, launch of TRP service, digitization of cable network and imposing special tax on companies producing advertisements with foreign models. Also read: Journo Fazle Elahi to get justice: Hasan Mahmud The minister said, “The online versions of newspapers were registered on condition that they will only upload the contents of the newspaper. Online versions of newspapers and news portals don’t have legal approval to broadcast talk shows or bulletins.” ATCO’s other written demands will be tested by the ministry, he added.

Police on Monday recovered human remains from inside the BM Container Depot in Sitakunda, eight days after the deadly fire there, authorities said. A bone with flesh of a human being was recovered from the depot around 4 pm while removing the containers, said Sumon Banik, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Sitakunda Police Station. The human remains were sent to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital for DNA test, he said. Also read: Sitakunda depot fire: Death toll rises to 47 as another victim dies Besides, Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SCOP) on Monday demanded justice after identifying those responsible for the fire and blasts at Sitakunda Depot. “We also want shifting of all depots from the port city and residential area,” said Coordinator of SCOP Tapan Datta while speaking at a press briefing at Chattogram Press Club. The death toll from BM Container Depot fire rose to 47 as two injured victims died at a private hospital in Chattogram and at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Sunday. So far, 10 firefighters have died in the incident. It is said to be the ‘largest death figure’ the fire service has seen in a single incident. Also read: 10 DVR machines recovered from BM container depot On June 4, a fire and subsequent blasts at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda of Chattogram left over 200 people injured.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has recovered 10 digital video recording (DVR) machines from the IT room of the BM container depot at Sitakunda in Chattogram. The CID team collected information and pictures and the burned DVR machines from the IT room on Saturday. A total of 118 CCTV cameras were installed in the depot area for monitoring, most of which were damaged during the explosions, said CID inspector Mohammad Sharif. Also read: Sitakunda fire: 8 BM Container Depot officials sued “Though most of the machines were burned, we collected them and handed them over to Sitakunda police. Now we will try to retrieve the information from the machines by experts ,” he added. Meanwhile, the cleaning activities of the debris inside the container depot are going on to make it functional again. According to sources, "the debris and the damaged containers are being removed by using cranes, excavators and bulldozers.” Also read: Ctg container depot fire fully doused after 85 hrs Depot authorities are removing these with their own manpower and equipment, sources added. Earlier, on Saturday night, at least 46 people were killed including firefighters and over 200 injured in a devastating fire and explosions at the BM container depot in Sitakunda.

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has said no explosives have been found at the BM Container Depot in Sitakunda, and rather raised the spectre of sabotage behind the fire. He was making remarks at the Secretariat on Tuesday, after returning from visiting the depot and witnessing the damage and loss of life. "It is being said there was hydrogen peroxide," Khalid said, trying to explain that the hydrogen peroxide had nothing to do with the large blast that occurred 45 minutes to an hour after an initial fire broke out, that firefighters were fighting at the time. Also read: Legal action against depot fire culprits after probe, says IGP This first blast, said to have been felt as far as 4 kilometres away from the epicentre, totally transformed the scale of the disaster. Among many others, perhaps the majority of the victims, 9 firefighters are apprehended to have died from the sheer force and intensity of this blast, that left an apocalyptic scene of severed limbs strewn around the depot. In a shocking lapse that can only be blamed on the depot authorities, those first responders were not informed of hydrogen peroxide being stored at the depot. "But hydrogen peroxide is not an explosive item," Khalid kept insisting today, even though no-one said it was. "It is an approved export item that Bangladesh has been exporting for a long time." The junior minister believes only explosive items can cause explosions. Hydrogen peroxide is certainly not in that category. It is not even classified as a flammable or combustible item, as it will not fuel a fire on its own. Where there is already a fire though, hydrogen peroxide, or H2O2, can be very dangerous. That is because it is an oxidizer, which means it adds oxygen or other elements that behave similarly to a situation. Despite not necessarily being combustible themselves, oxidizers are treated as a 'severe fire hazard'. Depending on the amount, they can 'greatly intensify fires and cause explosions'. Being an approved export item or how long it has been exported has nothing to do with its chemical properties. Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury also praised the depot for following the ISPS code (International Ship and Port Facility Security code), and being fully compliant. There was everything that an effective emergency fire fighting system requires, he observed. Also read: Container depot fire under control after 60 hours: Army “Even then, such a fire broke out. Whereas among all the container depots, BM Container Depot is said to be the best-managed," said the state minister. Asked what could have caused the explosion, Khalid said oxygen itself does not burn but helps others to burn -"something like that" might have happened in this case. If he didn't ignore the fact that hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizer, he may have acknowledged the danger posed by its presence. Continuing the conspiracy rhetoric, Khalid referenced 'a rumour', in which the inauguration of Padma Bridge on June 25 was being tied to the Sitakunda fire. From this connection being drawn, the depot fire raises legitimate suspicions of sabotage, according to the state minister. "From what I've seen, if you go practically, you will find the same. Everything will come out through investigation. We have expressed our concern, so those who are investigating may also take cognizance of this possibility,” he added. As a further point in favour of his conspiracy theory, he added: “Many are jealous of the way Bangladesh’s economy is moving forward." However, Khalid did assert that if the investigation were to find any negligence on the part of the owners, they would "definitely" be brought under the law. "There is no doubt about it,” he concluded.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed on Tuesday said legal action will be taken against those responsible for the BM Container Depot fire after receiving the probe reports. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has been directed to collect all kinds of evidence from the spot, he told reporters after visiting the container depot in Sitakunda and the injured victims  at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH). Also read: Container depot fire under control after 60 hours: Army Besides, two committees were formed to investigate the incident- one by the government and another by the fire service. CID experts were inducted in the both committees. He said workers were injured while working at the depot and firemen and police were injured during the rescue operation. Smoke is still billowing from some of the containers here.  So, the place is not safe yet, he said. “Hopefully we will be able finish the whole job with utmost care.” The deadly fire at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda was brought under control on Tuesday morning after over 60 hours, commanding officer of the 18th Brigade of the 24th Infantry Division Lt Col Ariful Islam told journalists around 11 am outside the depot. Meanwhile at 12 pm, parts of bodies were recovered from the debris, said Anisur Rahman, Deputy Assistant Director of Agrabad Fire Station. He said, “We are not counting the body parts as new bodies as they could be from earlier victims.” The district administration on Monday revised the death toll from Sitakund container depot fire to 41 down from the earlier confirmed figure of 50.  Also read: Sitakunda fire: Authorities lower death toll to 41 According to fire service sources, the container depot contained a large quantity of chemicals called 'hydrogen peroxide'. Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound and it acts like explosives at high temperature. The fire and subsequent blasts at the container depot left over 200 people wounded. Around 130 people are undergoing treatment at the burn unit of CMCH, said Anisur Rahman, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defense.

The deadly fire at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda was brought under control on Tuesday morning after over 60 hours, said the Army. "We have been able to control the flames and the area is out of danger now,’ commanding officer of the 18th Brigade of the 24th Infantry Division Lt Col Ariful Islam told journalists around 9 am outside the depot. He said there is still smoke coming out in the depot mainly from containers full of clothes. Water used to douse the fire is causing the smoke, he said. Also read: Probe to reveal whether sabotage behind Sitakunda depot fire “An expert team of Bangladesh Armed Forces is examining the area for the presence of any more hazardous substances. After receiving a final report from them we will be assured that there is no possibility of further danger, the commander said.

A hydrogen peroxide factory run by Smart Group, the owner of BM container depot where a weekend fire killed 41 people, has been shut down following protests by local residents and leaders. The factory, located at South Pahratali of Hathazari upazila in Chattogram, is run by Al-Razi Chemical Complex Ltd, a sister concern of Smart Group, now under public scrutiny after the massive blaze. The fire that erupted on Saturday night is being blamed on the hydrogen peroxide-carrying containers kept at the depot amid allegations of lax security measures. Also read: 'Arrest BM Container Depot MD Mujibur': Chhatra Odhikar Parishad Mobin Hossain Khan, Manager Admin of Al-Razi Chemical Complex Ltd on Tuesday said complying with the demands of local people and leaders the factory will refrain from releasing any consignment until the government completes probe into the fire and explosions. Locals living near the factory demanded its closure fearing a disaster even bigger than the depot fire, Monjurl Alam Chowdhury, former member of district Awami League committee told UNB. Chowdhury along with Jafar Alam a former commissioner of South Pahartali ward-1 and some locals met the manager admin, and Ibrahim Khalil, General manager of the Al-Razi Complex on Monday afternoon to voice their fear. “We have requested the authority to suspend production and delivery of hydrogen peroxide from the factory until investigation into the depot fire completes. We will not have any objection if it is produced here following proper safety protocols and government guidelines,” said Chowdhury. Hydrogen peroxide from this factory was kept at the BM Container Depot which was suspected to be turned into a death trap when the fire started on Saturday night which also left some 200 people injured. Also read: Sitakunda fire: Authorities lower death toll to 41 Apart from hydrogen peroxide, PVC pipe, PVC door and other materials are produced in the Al-Razi Chemical Complex built across 3 acres of land at the foot of hills at Thandachhari area in 2019.

The managing director of BM Container Depot, Mujibur Rahman, must be arrested within the next 24 hours, Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad general secretary  Ariful Islam Adib said  in a protest rally Monday.  Today (Monday) Bangladesh Chhatra Adhikar Parishad staged a rally protesting the corruption and mismanagement of the owners of BM Container Depot, near the anti-terrorist Raju Monument on the DU campus around 3 pm. During the rally they also placed a four-point demand. The demands are to arrest Mujibur Rahman, within the next 24 hours, to investigate the accident and the corruption of BM Container Depot owners, to provide proper compensation to the victims and their families, and to modernise the Fire Service. Also Read: Sitakunda fire: Authorities lower death toll to 41 Akhter Hossain, president of the Dhaka University branch of the Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, said, "We are saddened by the incident at Sitakunda in Chittagong. It is very sad that though there are laws in this country, there are more ways to disobey the law." "There are specific policies for importing and storing chemicals in the country.  But it seems that law has no value as the owner class has more money when people die in an accident. They just offer the victims' families a token compensation against their misdeeds," he added. Demanding appropriate compensation to all those who have been harmed in the BM Container Depot fire, Ariful Islam Adib, general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad central panel, said, "In this current situation,  students, workers, and general people have ha value in this country.  We make a clear demand from today's program that those involved in the fire should be brought to justice expeditiously.  The accused must be arrested within the next 24 hours."  He also demanded to ensure safe use of chemicals.