DHAKA: At least 25 people have been killed and 70 injured, many critically, in a huge fire triggered by a boiler explosion at a Bangladeshi packaging factory, officials said on Saturday as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze.

Around 100 people were working when flames tore through the four-storey building in the industrial town of Tongi, just north of the capital Dhaka.

Parvez Mia, a doctor at the Tongi government hospital, said the death toll was at 25, up from 22 previously reported, and said at least 70 people were injured.

The fire started in the boiler room at the Tampaco Foils Limited factory, which supplies foreign and domestic brands.

“We still have not controlled the blaze and we fear some workers are still trapped in the factory,” police inspector Aminul Islam said.

Mia, the doctor, said seriously injured victims had been sent to hospitals in the capital Dhaka. “Several of them are very critical,” he added.

Factory electrician Mohammad Rokon, 35, escaped with minor injuries.

“I was working inside the office room when I heard an explosion and felt a tremor. Then suddenly the ceiling started to fall on me,” he said.

“I almost became unconscious. But I forced myself to go out with the help of my mobile phone’s flashlight.” Machine operator Rubel Hossain was two minutes away from entering the factory when the blast occurred.

“I heard a huge explosion and saw smoke and fire coming out of the factory,” he said.

“I am simultaneously feeling lucky and heartbroken,” he said, tears streaming down his face as he helped rush the many injured to hospital, blood staining his T-shirt. The tragedy struck as families were preparing to celebrate Eidul Azha.

“My brother Delwar Hossain told us last night he would take us to our home district of Sherpur. Now he is going to be buried there,” said Khaleda Begum, the sister of a factory worker killed in the accident.

“Eid is ruined for our family.” Chemicals may have been stored on the ground floor of the factory, helping to explain how the blaze that began at 6am spread so fast, said Tahmidul Islam of Bangladesh’s industrial police unit.

“What we have heard is that there were chemicals stored on the ground floor. As a result, the fire took no time to spread,” Islam said, adding scores of firefighters were still battling to bring the blaze under control.

According to the company’s website, the packaging factory supplies multinational and domestic brands including British-American Tobac­­co Bangladesh Limited and Nestle Bangladesh Limited.

The head of Bangladesh’s factory inspection department said a committee had been set up to investigate the fire.

Published in Dawn September 11th, 2016