BANGLADESH Chattogram, 7 dead in factory explosion

The accident at an oxygen production plant devastated an area within a radius of one kilometer. Just 9 months ago there was another fire in a nearby warehouse. Poor security measures are blamed. Sister Zita Rema stated that “Factory owners should be concerned above all with the lives of the workers.”

Dhaka () – Seven people died and 30 others were injured in an explosion that once again devastated a factory in Bangladesh. The accident occurred on Saturday March 4 at an oxygen production plant in Sitakunda, Chattogram district, Bangladesh. Among the deceased were two Catholics, Salem Richel and Raton Nokrek; other plant workers, Ripon Banory and Paulinis Rema, were seriously injured. All four come from the Diocese of Mymensingh. All the injured are in Chattogram Hospital, some in critical condition.

The explosion affected an area of ​​approximately one square kilometer around the plant, causing the scattering of pieces of metal that also impacted nearby buildings. Three establishments near the plant were burned. One victim said that at the time of the explosion, about 40 workers were working on the site. Nine units of the Agrabad, Kumira and Sitakunda firefighters had to intervene, who took two hours to put out the flames; the police forces and the army also acted. The causes of the explosion are still uncertain, but investigators from the Chittagong district speak of negligence regarding the safety of the plant.

Even the mayor of the city, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, also claimed that accidents occur so frequently due to the negligence of business owners. Just 9 months ago another fire occurred in a container warehouse that left 50 dead; another tragedy occurred just half a kilometer from the site of the last explosion in Sitakunda. The mayor explains that it is not possible to prevent these accidents if the safety regulations in the work environment are not respected. The Ministry of Labor and Employment will pay 25,000 taka (about 220 euros) for the burial of the deceased and 200,000 taka (about 1,800 euros) will be given to families. Each injured will receive compensation of 50,000 Taka (about 440 euros). The Chittagong district commissioner said that drugs and medicines have also been purchased to treat the injured.

The sister Zita Rema, a religious from the Garo ethnic group of the Salesian Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate, in the Diocese of Chattogram, carries out her ministry with the workers, many of whom are internal immigrants. She visited the injured in hospitals and explained to that “these types of accidents happen every year. The safety of our workers is not guaranteed. This should be the main concern of the factory owners”.