A significant fire erupted at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh on Saturday, leading to widespread disruptions in air travel as flights were delayed or diverted. Fire officials reported that 36 firefighting units were mobilized to tackle the blaze which broke out in the cargo terminal. Talha Bin Zasim, a spokesperson from the Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed ongoing efforts to control the flames.
Operations at the airport were halted, although officials, including airport spokesperson Masudul Hasan, assured that all aircraft were safe. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Both domestic and international flights were impacted by the incident. Notably, an IndiGo flight traveling from Delhi to Dhaka was redirected to Kolkata, while an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah was rerouted to Chittagong. Additionally, a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong circled above the airport, unable to land due to the unfolding emergency.
In an unusual turn of events, this fire marks the third major incident involving fire in Bangladesh this week. Earlier, a catastrophic fire engulfed a garment factory in Dhaka and an adjacent chemical warehouse, claiming at least 16 lives. This past week has highlighted the ongoing challenges regarding fire safety in Bangladesh, particularly within industrial settings where safety regulations have often been found lacking.
The tragic garment factory incident underscores persistent issues that have long plagued the country, which is known for its large garment industry. Existing concerns over safety protocols were also raised after two notable disasters in the past decade, including the 2012 Tazreen Fashions fire and the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse, which prompted extensive loss of life and stirred international scrutiny of working conditions in the sector.
The recent fires may serve as a catalyst for calls for improved safety regulations and oversight in Bangladesh, with hopes that both the government and industries will take stronger commitments toward enhancing fire safety and prevention measures. As such, there remains a hopeful outlook that through these events, substantial and necessary changes can be implemented to secure the safety of both workers and the general public.
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