At least 11 individuals sustained injuries following an explosion at the Abul Khair Group’s Starship factory in the Oxygen area of Chattogram yesterday morning. The blast took place at approximately 10:50 am within a room dedicated to the production of bottles for liquefied substances, as confirmed by officials from both the fire service and the company.
Abdul Mannan, the assistant director of the fire service in Chattogram, informed The Daily Star that four firefighting teams promptly responded to the incident and successfully extinguished the fire by noon. Upon arrival, the firefighters found that the factory personnel had already rescued the injured workers and transported them to nearby hospitals.
The identities of the injured individuals were not immediately disclosed. Imrul Kader Bhuiyan, the deputy general manager of Abul Khair Group, attributed the explosion to a fire sparked by an electrical short circuit. He mentioned that the injured parties were promptly taken to the company’s private hospital, with eight individuals being discharged after receiving initial medical attention, while three are still receiving treatment.
Imrul Kader clarified that various governmental agencies conducted inspections at the factory site and dismissed social media rumors suggesting a boiler explosion. He emphasized that such claims were entirely unfounded.
Despite this, fire service official Abdul Mannan stated that the precise cause of the explosion remains undetermined. He noted that while the initial assessment pointed towards a machinery-related explosion within the facility, a comprehensive investigation is currently underway to ascertain the exact circumstances.
