Sitakunda oxygen plant fire: Death toll rises to 6

The death toll from the Sitakunda oxygen plant fire rose to six, with another victim succumbing to his injuries at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on Saturday night.

The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately, said Nurul Alam Ashiq, in-charge of Chittagong Medical College Hospital police outpost.

Earlier this afternoon, a massive fire broke out at an oxygen plant following an explosion in Kadam Rasul (Keshabpur) area of Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila, leaving 5 people dead and dozens injured.

Of the injured, nine are identified as Md Nur Hossain, 30, Md Arafat, 22, Motaleb, 52, Fancy, 30, Md Jasim Uddin, 45, Narayan, 60, Md Forkan Dada, 35, Shahriar, 26, and Md Zahid Hasan, 26.

Thirty injured are now receiving treatment at Chittagong Medical College (CHMCH) hospital.

The fire started at Seema Oxygen Plant around 4:30 pm after a big bang, Sitakunda Fire Service officer Md Fazle Rabbi said.

On information, 9 firefighting units from Sitakunda, Kumira and Chittagong fire stations rushed to the spot and managed to douse the flames at 6:30pm, said Md Shahjahan Shikdar, Deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Meanwhile, a 7-member probe committee has been formed by Chittagong district administration to investigate the fire.

Additional District Magistrate Rakib Hossain is head of the committee, Chittagong District Commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman told UNB this evening.

“The committee has been asked to submit a report within 5 working days,” Mohammad Fakhruzzaman added.