Three Bangladeshi workers died and two others were seriously injured when an under-construction warehouse collapsed in Malaysia on Tuesday night, police said.  The incident occurred at 9:58 pm (local time) in Batu Maung, Bayan Lepas, Malaysia, Malaysia’s Bernama news agency reported.  The deceased were identified as Mohammad Moqaddesh Ali, son of Md. Afsar Ali in Haripur village under Shibganj upazila of Bogura, Mohammad Saiful Islam, son of Md. Rawshan Ali in Laxmipur village under Debidwar in Cumilla and Md. Ahad Ali, son of Mohammad Osman Mandal in Chaipai village under Chatmohar upazila of Pabna, said a media release signed by Sufi Abdullahil Maruf, first secretary (press) of Bangladesh High Commission  in Malaysia. Bangladesh among 5 countries selected for project to strengthen preparedness to COVID-19, other infectious diseases The injured workers were sent to Penang Hospital for treatment, while unidentified four are believed to have been buried under the rubble. A search and rescue operation was underway by the Fire and Rescue Department with assistance from other agencies, including the police and the Civil Defence Force. The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) asked the developer to immediately stop work at the site. Local Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said this was to facilitate the rescue operation and the investigation carried out by the authorities. BNP’s 24-hour blockade underway with arson attacks Meanwhile, Bayan Lepas assemblyman Datuk Azrul Mahathir Aziz, who also visited the site, called for strict action against those responsible if negligence is found to have caused the incident. The Bangladesh High Commission in  Malaysia expressed deep sorrow and shock at the unexpected incident.  Bangladeshi acting High Commissioner Mohammad Khorshed A Khastagir sent first secretary (labour) A.S.M Zahidur Rahman and Legal Assistant Sukumaran Subramanian to the spot. The envoys collected information about the victims and are in touch with the families of the Bangladeshi workers to send the bodies home soon. The high commission has also been working to realise compensations for the victims from the authorities concerned. Dhaka's air 6th worst in the world this morning  

The fire that broke out at a tyre warehouse in Dewanhat area of Chattogram port city on Saturday noon was brought under control after around one and a half hours.   Abdul Hamid, deputy assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the blaze was brought under control after around one and a half hours of frantic efforts by firefighters from 11 units.   The train movement between Dhaka and Chattogram resumed after the fire was brought under control, he said. The origin of the fire and the extent of damages could not be ascertained immediately, the fire service officer said. Earlier, the fire broke out in the warehouse, adjacent to Dhaka-Chattogram rail track around 12:45 pm and spread soon. Also Read: Fire breaks out at Teknaf Rohingya camp Train communication of Chattogram with Dhaka and other parts of the country got stopped following the fire as the Chattogram-bound ‘Sonar Bangla’ express train failed to enter the Chattogram rail station. Besides, two trains-Bijoy and Mahanagar Express trains- remained stuck at Marshal Yard.    

A 40-year old man was killed and 9 people were injured in an explosion that triggered a fire at a warehouse in Narayanganj’s Nitaiganj Saturday morning. Awlad Hossain succumbed to his  injuries at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the capital, Anisur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Narayanganj Sadar police station, confirmed.   The rest burned injured are undergoing treatment there, he said. Shahjahan Shikdar, deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the fire broke out in the two-story building around 9 am following an explosion. A portion of the building collapsed after the explosion, he said. On information, six firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control around one and an half hours after the incident.  However, what caused the explosion and the subsequent fire could not be known immediately, he said. Read more: 2 injured as fire breaks out in Narayanganj building following explosion Fakhruddin, an assistant deputy director of Narayanganj fire service, said the building was declared risky as it may collapse any time. Abdul Kadir, president of Nitaiganj Multilateral Cooperative Society, said former president of the district’s flour mills owners’ association Illias Dewan is the owner of the building which was used as warehouse of pulse, rice, salt and other products. The first floor of around 100-year-old building was declared abandoned around 10 years back, he said. Golam Mostafa Russell, superintendent of police in the district, said onlookers were removed from the spot after the building was declared risky.      

In order to store wheat for long periods without chemical and pesticide intervention and maintaining nutritional quality, the government is funding the establishment of a warehouse with modern amenities at the Concrete Wheat Silo Campus, located on the banks of the Karnaphuli river in Chattogram. The warehouse will have the capacity of storing 114,300 metric tonnes of wheat at a time. The silo will be constructed jointly by Bangladesh-based Confidence Infrastructure Limited and USA-based GSI Group LLC. The foundation of the modern steel silo was marked by a ceremony, where Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder was present as chief guest and Food Secretary Md Ismiel Hossain was present as a special guest. Read: Qualities set for selection in Army The Modern Food Storage Facilities Project is co-funded by the Government of Bangladesh and the World Bank. The construction of the silo will be supervised by the Directorate General of Food. This silo will be capable of preserving grains for two to three years in an automatic temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. Moreover, wheat preserved in the silo will not require chemical or pesticide interventions to ensure quality control, which is not possible in traditionally used silos. At the ceremony, Sadhan said, “Development of the nation is not possible without ensuring food security. As a part of this process, we have decided to install modern silos to preserve grains so that at any given time and in any given circumstance, our people have access to adequate food supplies. We will continue undertaking various initiatives to ensure our food security.” Read: Militancy has no place in Bangladesh: Home Minister Ismiel praised the timely initiative of the government and expressed strong hope that as a result of such steps, in the near future, food security in Bangladesh will be further strengthened, especially during times of crisis. He also called upon the Food Ministry as well as everyone else to continue working together to ensure the food security of the nation. In the silo campus, 5 acres of unused, low-lying land has been developed for the construction of the silo. Confidence Infrastructure Limited and GSI Group LLC signed an agreement with the Directorate General of Food in April of this year to construct the warehouse in Chattogram. According to the agreement, the construction of the silo will be completed by March of 2024.  

A fire gutted valuables of  ‘Ripon Knitwear Factory Ltd’ at Konabari Jarun in Gazipur city on Tuesday. The fire broke out in a warehouse on the ground floor of the five-story building at noon and spread soon. Read:Mugda fire: 55-yr-old woman dies of burn injuries On information, six firefighting units rushed to the spot. It took two hours to extinguish the blaze. However, the workers, who were working in the building, managed to come out when the factory catches fire. The origin of the fire and the extent of loss caused by the fire will be known after investigation, said Abdul Hamid.

A devastating fire in Chanpur Sadar upazila’s Dakshin Tarpurchandi village burnt to ashes a cotton factory and its warehouse on Wednesday. The factory made cotton from jute fibre. Read: Child burnt to death, 5 hurt in Chattogram fire No casualties have been immediately reported. According to the locals, five peoplec working inside the factory managed to escape to safety soon after the fire broke out. However, the owner of the factory, Billal Mizi fainted and was taken to the district Sadar hospital.   Firefighter Zakir Hossain said that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit and it spread quickly. Three units of the fire services managed to bring the fire under control at around 3 pm after two and a half hours of effort, he said The owner of the factory, Billal Mizi, and his brother claimed that the initial loss was around Tk 30 lakh. But fire services Deputy Assistant Directors Sahidul Islam and Zakir Hossain said that the amount of loss will be Tk 5 lakh. Read: Fire engulfs chemical warehouse in Chattogram Further investigation would be made, they said. They further said that no permission or approval was taken from the fire services before the construction of this factory and warehouse.

The committee formed by the High Court to manage, control and asses the liabilities of controversial e-commerce platform Evaly has sealed off its four wearhouses at Savar on Monday. The five-membered committee led by former Appellate Division justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik visited two warehouses at Aminbazar and two others at Baliarpur Monday noon. The committed found some beverages, television sets and packed electronic products in one of the warehouses. Also read: HC bans sale-transfer of Evaly’s property

A four-member probe committee has been formed Sunday over the large fire in Chairman Bari yesterday that took 10 hours to put out. DAD of Fire Service and Civil Defence Shahjahan Sikder at the headquarters said that the committee has been directed to submit the investigation report within seven working days. Read:Banani warehouse fire doused after 10 hrs Deputy Director (Development) Noor Hasan Ahmed was made president and Deputy Assistant Director Niaz Ahmed as secretary of the committee. Two other members of the committee include senior station officer of Tejgaon Fire Station and warehouse inspector of the concerned area. On Saturday morning a massive fire broke out at a six-storey building in Banai’s Chairman Bari area. Eleven units of fire service, later three units from the Bangladesh Army and the Navy joined together and managed to put out the fire after 10 hours of effort. Read: Fire breaks out at a bakery in city’s Nawabpur Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

As many as 20 people were injured as a fire broke out at a warehouse off the Dhaka-Aricha highway in the Rajphulbaria bus stand area of Savar early on Thursday. Sources at the fire services department said the blaze started in the morning and soon engulfed the warehouse belonging to Singer Refrigerators. On information, 11 fire tenders rushed to spot and it took them some time to douse the flames. Read: Leather factory in Narayanganj catches fire Sources claimed the fire spread rapidly because of the presence of chemicals, colours and other flammable materials inside the warehouse on the outskirts of the capital. However, the origin of the fire is yet to be ascertained. "As many as 20 people, including firemen, sustained injuries in the blaze. The firemen suffered injuries while dousing the flames," the sources said. "Traffic on the Dhaka-Aricha highway remained suspended till 11.25 am due to the fire," said Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge of Savar Model police station. Read: Rupganj factory fire : Families receive remains of 24 victims Power supply in the area has also been disconnected, causing inconvenience to hundreds of local residents.

In Old Dhaka, known for its food, centuries-old buildings and narrow alleys, people are living with “bombs” in the form of hundreds of chemical warehouses that pepper this historic neighbourhood. Fires at such godowns, which lack safety measures, have killed scores over the years. Eleven years after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered the relocation of the warehouses following the death of about 100 people in Nimtoli fire, they are yet to be shifted largely because of vehement opposition by traders. Another 78 lives were lost in the infamous Chawkbazar fire but the tragic deaths did not bring about any change. Also read: Armanitola chemical warehouse fire: 2 owners held After the latest fire incident that started at a chemical storehouse on April 23 at Armanitola killing four people, the government is now saying that these godowns will be relocated permanently to Munshiganj within 2022. Industries Secretary KM Ali Azam told UNB that preparing a 308-acre plot for relocation is going on in Munshiganj. About 2,000 warehouses can be set up there. For now, 53 warehouses will be shifted to Tongi temporarily – seven of them have already been relocated. Another 54 will be moved to Shyampur – 19 have already been shifted and the rest will be relocated within three months, the secretary said. Asked about such storehouses in Dhaka, he said available information put the number at around 2,000. “We can relocate them permanently to Munshiganj within 2022,” Secretary Azam said. Read BSEC moves to set up chemical warehouse at Tongi Relocation ‘Very Soon’ A committee, headed by the Cabinet, secretary supervises the relocation of chemical warehouses and all aspects of this trade, he said. The committee has representatives from Rajuk, Industries Ministry, Home Ministry and other related ministries. This committee also oversees licences for the traders. Dhaka South City Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer and newly-appointed Rajuk Chairman ABM Aminullah Noori told UNB that the Industries Ministry had undertaken two projects to relocate the chemical warehouses from Old Dhaka. The projects are in Munshiganj and Tongi. The one in Tongi is expected to be completed within this year. “Once they’re ready, all the chemical warehouses will be moved out of Old Dhaka,” he said. Also read: Fire guts 3 Keraniganj chemical warehouses, 10 hurt He, however, did not give a timeframe for completion of the projects. “We’re optimistic about relocating them very soon,” he said. Aminullah said the unplanned warehouses of Old Dhaka are a long-time issue. “It can’t be resolved without the cooperation of local traders and residents. Moving the warehouses took time because of the local traders’ opposition,” he said, adding that the government is continuing its efforts and is optimistic that godowns will be relocated soon. Read Armanitola building fire: One more victim dies Ticking Time Bombs Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) General Secretary Dr Adil Mohammad Khan said: “The people in Old Dhaka are living on a bomb. The warehouses were not moved even 11 years after the Nimtoli tragedy.” He said such incidents will recur if the government does not take strong steps to protect the people’s lives and properties. “The chemicals stored in Old Dhaka and other areas pose a constant threat of deadly explosions. Necessary steps should be taken after finding out the reasons why the warehouses were not relocated even after the Nimtoli and Churihatta incidents,” he said adding that exemplary punishment should be meted out. Also read: BSEC moves to set up chemical warehouse at Tongi Adil lauded the city corporations for not issuing trade licences for chemical warehouses after the Nimtoli and Churihatta incidents. “The authorities concerned haven’t been able to successfully monitor the chemical warehouse and factories,” he said. Making Everyone Accountable BIP said that most of the chemical factories and warehouses in Old Dhaka were not constructed following building code and standard. “People are residing in the same building housing warehouses, a dangerous practice that has been going on for years,” he said. These warehouses were constructed out of greed, violating the rules. “Their existence has put a big question mark on our pledges to build a modern and livable city,” he said. Read Fire at Old Dhaka plastic factory brought under control Backtracking from an earlier decision to relocate chemical warehouses to multi-storey buildings in Keraniganj BSCIC Industrial Estate facing opposition from traders was delaying the relocation. The government decided to shift warehouses by building a plot-based industrial estate. Many house owners in Old Dhaka are illegally renting out their buildings to be used as chemical factories and warehouses to earn extra bucks. They themselves are living in other areas, leaving their tenants in danger. “This practice will continue until the house owners are brought under the law. Traders of illegal chemical factories and warehouses should be brought to book,” he said. “And, actions should be taken against the government officials concerned if they’ve neglected their work (in this regard).” Also read: Fire at Benapole port chemical warehouse