Four workers suffered burn injuries in a fire that broke out at City Auto Rice & Dal Mill at Rupshi area of Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj on Saturday. The injured were identified as Belayert Hossain, 55, Sirazul Islam, 50, Hazrat Ali, 45, and Rana, 30. The fire broke out on Saturday afternoon and five units of firefighters managed to bring it under control around 5:30 pm, said Tanharul Islam, deputy director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defense. Also read: Fire breaks out at glass factory in Keraniganj Three of the workers with severe burns were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital while Rana was admitted at a local hospital, he said. The flames started in wheat sacks kept beside the boiler of the mill, said the Fire Service official. The mill authority incurred minor amount of damage from the fire, he said. Also read: 7 burnt as fire breaks out in Narayanganj cotton factory

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of police Thursday recovered more human remains from Narayanganj's Hashem Food and Beverage Factory premises.  The investigators found the remains of at least one individual – a skull and some bones – from the fourth floor of the factory building, only two days after discovering charred skull and bones from the same spot.  The remains would be sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for DNA profiling, said CID's Assistant Superintendent of Police Harun-Ur-Rashid. Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames

The bodies of the Shezan juice factory fire victims would be handed over to their families from Wednesday.   The identities of 45 workers killed in the factory fire have been confirmed through DNA tests, officials said Tuesday. These bodies were recovered in an unrecognisably charred state.  Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mostain Billah said some of the bodies were kept in Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue. It was learned that 24 bodies kept at Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue will be handed to families at noon Wednesday. The rest were kept at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital morgue to be handed over in the next two days. Also read: PM monitoring developments after factory fire in Rupganj: Quader However, identities of three of the 48 bodies recovered in the same state from the same floor could not be ascertained from DNA matches. Deputy Commissioner Mostain Billah further said that the families of the listed 45 deceased will be given Tk 50,000 for the burial and funeral.

BNP on Monday alleged that the government is carrying out an investigation into the deadly fire incident at Hashem Foods Ltd in Narayanganj as a mere eyewash to save its owner as he belongs to the ruling party. “We would like to tell the government to take practical steps shunning the eyewash in the name of an investigation,” said BNP organising secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince. Speaking at a human-chain programme, he also said the government has arrested Hashem Foods owner Abul Hashem in the face of public demand. Also read: N’ganj factory fire an incident of murder: BNP The BNP leader warned the government of facing public wraths if Abul Hashem, a ruling party leader, is released from jail or he goes unpunished. Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal arranged the programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club demanding punishment of the owner of Hashem Foods and others responsible for the fire that claimed the lives of over 52 people. The programme was also meant for mounting pressure on the government to ensure adequate compensations for the families of those killed and injured in the blaze and their rehabilitation. Also read: Mills, factories have no safe working environment: BNP Prince said all those responsible for the factory fire, including the owner, must be brought to justice. “The families of those who died and suffered injuries must be compensated with a justified amount of money. Proper treatment for the injured workers will have to be ensured.” He also urged the government to take effective steps to ensure a safe working environment for workers in every factory. The BNP leader said fire incidents are taking place at different factories one after another under the current ‘regime’ for lack of preventive measures and exemplary punishment of those responsible.   He said the factory at Hashem Foods has exposed once again that there is no working environment and security of workers in Bangladesh factories. “Fifty-two workers died in the Narayangaj factory, but the state and government remained silent. The government should have declared a mourning day in memory of the 52 workers and offered condolences to the victims’ families and adequate compensations to them. But they didn’t do that as they aren’t a worker-friendly government,” Prince said. He also alleged that the government is not coming forward in aid of the workers and day-labourers who are going through serious ordeals amid the countrywide lockdown.   The BNP leader called upon the government to immediately provide adequate food and cash support to the day-labourers and low-income people to ease their sufferings.

Unicef has mourned the children who were killed in a recent factory fire in Narayanganj's Rupganj. "We offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who died, were injured, or remain unaccounted for," said Unicef Representative in Bangladesh Tomoo Hozumi Sunday. With over 50 casualties reported, as many as 16 or more of these may be children, Unicef said. Also read: Narayanganj fire: ITUC deeply concerned over 52 workers' death "As families continue to search for their missing children, Unicef is working with the government to dispatch social workers to support children and families in Rupganj," said Hozumi. "This tragic incident brings to light yet again that despite laws that should protect them, many children in Bangladesh are not only working, but they are working in hazardous conditions, he added. According to the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019, over 4 million children are working, and more than 3 million of these children are trapped in the worst forms of child labour that involve hazardous working conditions. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples "The horrific deaths and suffering, which could have been avoided, are a stark reminder that all stakeholders must act now to protect children and must enforce compliance with the Children Act 2013, as well as child labour and occupational safety laws," Hozumi said. At least 52 people died in a fire Thursday at a factory in Narayanganj's Rupganj, the latest industrial disaster in the country. The International Trade Union Confederation Bangladesh Council Saturday called for making the results of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments' work on anomalies of the factory – especially the recruitment of child workers – public.

The High Court said on Sunday it will wait until identification of the bodies recovered from the burnt factory in Rupganj before giving its ruling on compensation to the families of the victims. The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim described Thursday’s massive fire at Hashem Foods factory a as terrible in responding to a writ petition seeking compensation for proper treatment of the injured and to families of the deceased. At least 52 people died and many were injured in the fire, one of the country’s worst factory fire. The writ petition was filed on behalf of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh Legal and Services Trust, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association (BELA) and Safety and Rights Society. Lawyers ZI Khan Panna, Sara Hossain, SM Rezaul Karim, Anik R Haque and Shahinuzzaman stood for the petition. Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswas represented the state. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples After the lawyer Sara Hossain presented the writ, the court said that the concern was legitimate, but the issues needed to be given a reasonable time for the remedy. The judge said of the 52 bodies found, only one was handed over to family as it has been identified. The process would take at least 21 days and the compensation amount could be determined once the bodies were identified. About the transparency of the investigation Justice Enayetur said that the court was observing how it goes. During this time, the HC also asked the Attorney General to contact the Health Secretary and the Labour Secretary to look into the treatment of the injured. The petition sought directions to pay Tk 1 crore to the families of each worker killed in the fire and Tk 35 lakh to each injured. However, Tk 10 lakh for the deceased and Tk 5 lakh for the injured have been sought as interim compensation. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Tk 50,00 medical assistance provided to injured The fire broke out at the factory located in Karnagop area of Rupganj upazila on July 8 at 6 pm. Eighteen units of fire service including Demra and Kanchan brought the terrible fire under control after a 29-hour effort. However, 52 lives were lost during this period. Many workers were injured. A case has been registered under sections 302, 326, 325, 323, 324 and 307 for murder and murder accusation. Eight people, including Sajeeb Group Chairman, Abul Hashem were arrested in the case. On July 10, a Narayanganj court remanded the eight people for four days.

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday alleged that there is no let-up in factory fires and deaths of workers in the country for lack of monitoring and accountability of the authorities concerned. “Even in the 50 years of independence, the lives of the factory workers are not safe in this country. Every year many workers die in factory fires,” he said in a statement. Read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples The Jatiya Party chief said many buildings are not constructed in accordance with the building code while the factories are not built maintaining the specific policies. “The factories don’t have the necessary equipment to prevent fires.  There’s no monitoring and minimum accountability of those responsible. So, the workers can’t save their lives when any factory catches fire,” he observed. GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said an investigation committee is formed after each fire incident and the report also contains some recommendations. Read: PM monitoring developments after factory fire in Rupganj: Quader “Sometimes people know about it (report), sometimes it remains a secret. The recommendations are hardly implemented. In most cases, those responsible (for the fire incidents) get out through the loopholes of the law. So, the fire incidents and the processions of death are not stopping,” he alleged. Referring to the data of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the Jatiya Party chairman said 2,317 people were killed and 12,374 others injured in fire incidents across the country in the last 15 years. “A large part of them are working-class people.” He recalled that 117 garment workers at the Tazreen Fashion garment factory at Ashulia were burnt to death and more than 200 others injured in the deadliest fire in the country’s history on November 24, 2012. Read:Rupganj fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, sons among 8 put on remand “The deaths of bread-earners in each fire incident causes a humanitarian catastrophe in their poverty-stricken families,” Quader bemoaned. He said the government must take strong steps right now to reduce fire incidents and save the lives of workers.

Family members on Saturday claimed 40 out of the 48 unidentified bodies burnt to the bone at the Rupganj factory fire, said CID DNA Assistant Analyst Nusrat Yasmin. DNA samples were collected from 56 people on behalf of the claimants' families, she added. “We have already taken samples from 48 unidentified bodies at the DMCH morgue. Forty of those bodies were claimed by family members today.” “We have collected 56 samples from the claimants, we will deliver the bodies to the family as soon as we get a match,” she added. DNA collected from the burnt bodies is being matched with DNA collected from articles of clothing or other items submitted by claimant families. Locked inside a facility with no fire exit, 52 lives were burnt to ashes caused by the Rupganj factory fire in Narayanganj. It took around 27 hours for 18 firefighting units to douse the fire completely as at some floors had huge inflammable substances stockpiled. Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames Firefighters recovered 49 bodies from the 4th floor of the building and sent those to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s morgue, taking the death toll to 52 from the tragic incident. Only one of the 49 bodies could be identified, as the rest were completely burnt. Earlier, three deaths from the accident were confirmed by the authorities of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and US Bangla Medical College and Hospital, Rupganj on Thursday. As more details emerged of the catastrophe, it became clear that the workers were left with no chance in the face of the raging inferno, that has been further fuelled by combustible items such as ghee, butter, oil and polybags stored on each floor.   Even so, the workers may have had a chance at escape, if only the building code had been maintained to provide an emergency exit, or the management had not implemented the medieval practice of locking the gates of the factory floors, that carried undertones of the horrific Tazreen Garments fire in 2012 that killed at least 112. Deputy Director of the Fire Service Debashish Bardhan confirmed to UNB that rescue workers had to literally break down the locked collapsible gate on the building's 4th floor to go in and recover the bodies. That is where they found 49 of the bodies, burnt to a pulp overnight on the factory floor.   Most of the bodies were in a recognisable state. Narayanganj Additional Deputy Commissioner (Overall) Shamim Bepari said they would be handed over to their relatives after DNA testing to identify them. They have already been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy and DNA test. Also read: Rupganj fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, sons among 8 put on remand A Narayanganj court on Saturday placed the eight people, including the chairman of Sajeeb Group, his four sons and the group CEO, on a four-day remand each following their arrest in connection with the Rupganj factory fire case. Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Fahmida Khanam passed the order in the afternoon after a hearing as police produced the arrestees before the court seeking a 10-day remand for them, inspector Asaduzzaman told the UNB correspondent from the court. Earlier in the day, Narayanganj police arrested Md Abul Hashem, chairman of the group, 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 in the connection with the tragic fire in the factory owned by the group that claimed the lives of 52 people so far. Earlier, police filed a case with Rupganj police station against the eight people and many unknown others following the massive fire in the factory, said Superintendent of Police in the district Md Zaidul Alam. Group CEO Shahan Sha Azad was arrested from the company’s head office in the capital’s Farmgate area, while Chairman Hashem from his Gulshan residence, SP Alam said.

The International Trade Union Confederation Bangladesh Council (ITUC-BC) Saturday expressed deep concern over the death of 52 workers and injury of more than 30 in a fire at Hashem Food and Beverage factory in Narayanganj's Rupganj. ITUC-BC Chairman Anwar Hossain and Secretary General Md Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan demanded legal action against "the culprits as it appears that the authorities killed the workers in a planned way by blocking the exit of the factory and preventing rescuers from entering the building during the fire." Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames The global trade union federation demanded compensation for deceased workers' families, according to international standards; rehabilitation and compensation for the injured. ITUC-BC said factory fires are recurring due to inefficiency, negligence and indifference of the concerned authorities. It urged the government to form a judicial inquiry committee against all those, directly and indirectly, responsible for the incident. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested Also, the global trade union federation called for making the results of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments' work on anomalies of the factory – especially the recruitment of child workers – public.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is monitoring the situation and the measures taken by the government after a devastating factory fire killed 52 workers at Rupganj near Dhaka, the Awami League general secretary said on Saturday. Obaidul Quader, who is also road transport and bridges minister, was addressing virtually an event marking the observance of the 15th anniversary of Bangabandhu Adarsh Forum in Dhaka. Also read: Rupganj fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, sons among 8 put on remand He expressed deep grief over the loss of life in the tragic blaze and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. Saying three committees have been formed to probe the fire, Quader vowed that no one found responsible for the disaster will be spared. Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames The fire broke out at Hashem Foods Ltd at Bhulta,  Rupganj under Narayanganj district around 5 p.m. Thursday. The meeting was presided over by Natyajan Ataur Rahman, president of Bangabandhu Adarsh Forum.