Massive Fire Breaks Out at Dhaka Airport; All Flight Operations Suspended

Massive Fire Breaks Out at Dhaka Airport: Massive fire erupted on Saturday at the international airport cargo facility at the capital of Bangladesh causing the authorities to halt all flight activities as the place was overtaken with the smokes of black colour. No immediate report of casualties had been heard.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), the fire broke out in the afternoon at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and over twenty-five firefighting units were deployed, and more troops were rushing to the location.

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“We received the information at 2:30 pm and immediately dispatched our units to join the ones deployed at the airport,” Fire Service spokesman Talha Bin Zasim said.

He said there are thirty six firefighting units at work. The CAAB officials reported that the Air Force fire departments also took part in the rescue effort. "Landings and takeoffs of all aircraft have been suspended until further notice. All our aircraft are confirmed safe," a CAAB spokesperson said.

Nine flights of other airlines that were, at least, due to land in Dhaka, were diverted to the Shah Amanat International Airport in southeastern Chattogram and Osmani International Airport in northeastern Sylhet. Eight of them landed in Chattogram and one in Sylhet.

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As per local newspapers, chemicals in the cargo area were a great challenge to the fire fighters. Witnesses indicated that army, air force, navy and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were also involved in the firefighting and rescue operations.

They referred to the fire as a big one as massive smoke enveloped a big percentage of the airport and the nearby premises. It is the third significant fire outbreak in Bangladesh in five days.

On Thursday, a huge building of eight storeys at the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) was gutted down in a blaze that affected the area. There were no casualties. A fire on a four-storey garment factory and a chemical warehouse in Dhaka on Tuesday killed 16 workers and injured a number of others.

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