Six bodies handed over to families

Six bodies of the cement factory warehouse disaster in Bagerhat were handed over to their families yesterday.

Authorities called off the rescue operation yesterday after recovery of seven bodies from the rubble. The other body could not be identified.

Brig Gen Mohammad Selim, acting chairman of Sena Kalyan Sangstha, announced an end to the operation around 12:35pm.

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard, the Navy, the Army, police and Fire Service and Civil Defence conducted the rescue operation, sealing off the 4,062 sq ft warehouse.

The roof of the under-construction building of Sena Kalyan Sangstha caved in on Thursday around 1:00pm when workers were pouring concrete for the roof. Six bodies were recovered that day while rescuers retrieved another body from the debris of the collapsed building early yesterday.

Besides, 45 more workers, who were injured in the accident, were undergoing treatment at hospitals, including Mongla Port Authority Hospital, Rampal Upazila Health Complex, and Khulna Medical College Hospital. Of them, 23 are in critical condition.

The government and Sena Kalyan Sangstha formed two separate probe committees to investigate the incident. The seven-member government committee, led by Farukh Hossain, additional divisional commissioner of Khulna, was asked to submit its report within seven days.

Brig Gen Selim said families of the deceased workers would be provided with financial assistance, while medical expenses for the injured would be paid by the army backed company. He, however, did not specify anything further in this regard.

Meanwhile, Bagerhat district administration announced that it would give the families of the deceased Tk 20,000 each, a correspondent from Mongla reported.

Some of the injured workers said about 84 labourers were hired from Rupshaghat in Khulna for the construction of the warehouse roof. Many of them with minor injuries had already left while families of many were yet to be informed about the building collapse. So, it could not be known whether some of the workers were still missing.

However, Belayet Hossain, officer-in-charge of Mongla Police Station, said no one has yet claimed that his or her family member was missing.