Bangladesh’s largest airport suspended all flights for several hours on Saturday, officials said, as firefighters tackled a large blaze at its cargo terminal.
The fire at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, the capital, started soon after 2 p.m. local time, spreading thick black smoke that was visible miles from the site.
It took about three dozen firefighting units, helped by the air force and navy personnel, to quell the fire. As the blaze raged for about seven hours, planes were being redirected to airports elsewhere in Bangladesh.
The flights resumed around 9 p.m. local time, according to Kawser Mahmud, an officer of the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority. Officials said they were still assessing the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.
It was the third large fire in the country in only five days. The worst of them, on Tuesday, killed at least 16 people when flames that started at a chemical storage facility spread to a garment factory in a neighborhood of Dhaka, one of the world’s most densely populated cities.
The recent fires have resurfaced concerns about safety measures in a country that has experienced several mass casualty events connected to shoddy infrastructure and lack of adequate safety precautions.
Four days after the fire in the chemical storage facility in Dhaka, firefighters and security forces still kept a watch on the scene late on Saturday, as passers-by, covering their noses amid the strong stench of smoke and chemicals, stopped to observe the charred area. Thick smoke had continued to be released for three days, until the fire was brought fully under control on Friday, according to officers at the scene.
Another fire at a factory — in Chattogram, Bangladesh’s second-largest city — burned an entire seven-story building. No casualties were reported.
Bangladesh is currently run by an interim government struggling to restore order and manage a democratic transition since its autocratic leader, Sheikh Hasina, was toppled by large protests last year. The office of Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel laureate who leads the interim government, said in a statement that was he “aware of public concern” after the recent major fires.
“We wish to assure all citizens that the security services are investigating each incident thoroughly and protecting lives and property with utmost vigilance,” the statement said. “Any credible evidence of sabotage or arson will be met with a swift and resolute response.”
Mujib Mashal contributed reporting from New Delhi.
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